Aims & Scope
International Journal of Medical Practitioners (IJMP) publishes research on healthcare systems, policy, delivery, and quality improvement—advancing how medical practitioners work within health systems, not individual patient care.
Core Research Domains
Healthcare Systems & Policy
- Healthcare system design and organization
- Health policy analysis and implementation
- Healthcare financing and reimbursement models
- Health economics and resource allocation
- Healthcare workforce planning and distribution
- Health system performance measurement
Quality Improvement & Patient Safety
- Quality measurement and reporting systems
- Patient safety initiatives and error reduction
- Clinical practice guideline implementation
- Healthcare accreditation and standards
- Performance improvement methodologies
- Adverse event reporting and analysis
Health Informatics & Technology
- Electronic health record systems and interoperability
- Clinical decision support systems
- Telemedicine and remote care delivery
- Health data analytics and artificial intelligence applications
- Digital health platforms and mobile health
- Health information exchange infrastructure
Public Health & Population Health
- Disease surveillance and epidemiological monitoring
- Population health management strategies
- Health disparities and equity initiatives
- Social determinants of health interventions
- Preventive care program design and evaluation
- Community health assessment and planning
Secondary Focus Areas
Medical Education & Professional Development
- Healthcare workforce training programs
- Continuing medical education systems
- Competency assessment frameworks
- Interprofessional education initiatives
- Simulation-based training evaluation
Healthcare Ethics & Law
- Healthcare policy ethics analysis
- Informed consent processes and systems
- Medical liability and risk management
- Healthcare regulation and compliance
- End-of-life care policy
Healthcare Communication
- Provider-patient communication systems
- Health literacy initiatives
- Medical journalism and public health messaging
- Healthcare marketing and outreach
- Crisis communication in healthcare settings
Global Health Systems
- International health system comparisons
- Healthcare delivery in resource-limited settings
- Medical tourism infrastructure and policy
- Global health workforce migration
- Cross-border healthcare coordination
Occupational Health Systems
- Workplace health program design
- Occupational health surveillance systems
- Return-to-work program evaluation
- Healthcare worker safety initiatives
- Environmental health policy
Emergency Preparedness & Response
- Disaster response system planning
- Emergency department operations research
- Mass casualty incident protocols
- Healthcare facility emergency preparedness
- Crisis resource allocation frameworks
Emerging Research Frontiers
- Artificial intelligence integration in healthcare operations and workflow optimization
- Blockchain applications for health information exchange and data security
- Precision medicine implementation at the health system level
- Value-based care models and alternative payment systems
- Climate change impacts on healthcare delivery infrastructure
- Post-pandemic healthcare system transformation and resilience
Explicitly Out of Scope
Clinical Case Reports & Individual Patient Care
Rationale: IJMP focuses on systems-level research. Case reports, individual treatment protocols, diagnostic procedures, and therapy guidelines belong in clinical specialty journals. We do not publish studies of individual patient outcomes without system-level analysis.
Basic Biomedical Research
Rationale: Laboratory studies, molecular mechanisms, drug discovery, and basic science investigations without direct healthcare delivery implications are outside our scope. Submit to specialty journals in pharmacology, genetics, immunology, or basic science.
Clinical Specialty Techniques
Rationale: Surgical techniques, anesthesia protocols, imaging methods, and specialty-specific procedures are better suited for clinical specialty journals (e.g., surgery, radiology, anesthesiology). We consider these only when analyzing system-wide implementation or policy impact.
Disease-Specific Clinical Studies
Rationale: Studies focused solely on disease pathophysiology, clinical manifestations, or treatment efficacy for specific conditions (oncology, cardiology, neurology, etc.) without healthcare delivery context belong in disease-specific journals.
Veterinary Medicine
Rationale: Animal health and veterinary practice fall outside our human healthcare systems focus. Submit to veterinary medicine journals unless addressing One Health policy or zoonotic disease surveillance systems.
Article Types & Editorial Priorities
Fast-Track
Original Research Articles
Empirical studies with novel findings on healthcare systems, policy implementation, quality improvement interventions, or health informatics innovations. Target length: 4,000-6,000 words.
Fast-Track
Systematic Reviews & Meta-Analyses
Comprehensive evidence synthesis on healthcare delivery, system performance, or policy effectiveness. Must follow PRISMA guidelines. Target length: 5,000-8,000 words.
Fast-Track
Methods & Innovations
Novel methodologies for health services research, quality measurement tools, or health informatics frameworks with validation data. Target length: 3,000-5,000 words.
Standard
Short Communications
Preliminary findings, pilot studies, or brief reports on timely healthcare system issues. Target length: 1,500-2,500 words.
Standard
Data Notes
Descriptions of novel healthcare datasets, registries, or surveillance systems with reuse potential. Must include data accessibility statement. Target length: 2,000-3,000 words.
Standard
Policy Perspectives
Evidence-based analysis of healthcare policy developments, regulatory changes, or system reforms. Must be data-driven, not opinion. Target length: 2,500-4,000 words.
Considered
Commentaries & Opinion Pieces
Invited only. Unsolicited opinion pieces are rarely accepted unless addressing urgent healthcare system crises with unique expert perspective.
Editorial Standards & Requirements
Reporting Guidelines
- CONSORT for randomized trials
- STROBE for observational studies
- PRISMA for systematic reviews
- SQUIRE for quality improvement
- CHEERS for economic evaluations
- STARD for diagnostic accuracy
Data & Transparency
- Data availability statement required
- Code sharing encouraged (GitHub/Zenodo)
- Protocol registration for trials (ClinicalTrials.gov)
- ORCID iDs for all authors
- Conflict of interest disclosure mandatory
- Funding source transparency
Ethics & Compliance
- IRB/Ethics committee approval required
- Informed consent documentation
- Patient privacy protection (HIPAA/GDPR)
- Declaration of Helsinki compliance
- Institutional review board approval letters
- Data use agreements when applicable
Preprint & Prior Publication
- Preprints accepted (medRxiv, SSRN, arXiv)
- Conference abstracts permitted
- No duplicate publication
- Preprint DOI must be disclosed
- Thesis chapters acceptable with disclosure
- Translations require original permission
Publication Metrics & Performance
First Decision
(2023-2024)
Publication
(CC BY 4.0)
Ready to Submit?
If your research advances healthcare systems, policy, delivery, or quality improvement—and aligns with our scope—we want to hear from you.
Submit Your Manuscript
