Canada's major medical journal, CMAJ, will champion the health of vulnerable populations with a special focus on groups that experience adverse health outcomes because of poverty, isolation, discrimination and other factors.
"By choosing vulnerable populations as a CMAJ area of focus, we renew our commitment to using our platform to advocate on behalf of Canadians who are vulnerable to poor health because of structural and personal factors that prevent them from achieving the optimal health that is their human right," write CMAJ medical editors Drs. Kirsten Patrick, Ken Flegel and Matthew Stanbrook in an editorial in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal)
"We hope to shine a light on vulnerability in health care and help to reduce it by empowering and giving voice to those who are vulnerable. We are hereby signalling to researchers working with vulnerable populations across Canada and internationally that we can be a prominent home for their highest-quality work in this area. In addition, we will continue to prioritize CMAJ's tradition of effective advocacy for the vulnerable," they write.
The journal will continue to publish a broad range of content relevant to primary care physicians, specialists and policy-makers.
A linked commentary http://www.cmaj.ca/lookup/doi/10.1503/cmaj.180242 discusses the concept of vulnerability in health care.
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Canadian Medical Association Journal