PCC: 20 Years Old and Growing

PCC: 20 Years Old and Growing

When a small group of primary care physicians got together 20 years ago in Memphis, Tennessee, little did they know they would be creating a publication that would grow to great stature and worldwide recognition as one of the best-read, often-cited journals providing primary care physicians and other health care professionals with content about the diagnosis and treatment of central nervous system disorders.

The Primary Care Companion for CNS Disorders began its publishing life as an offspring of The Journal of Clinical Psychiatry (The Primary Care Companion to The Journal of Clinical Psychiatry). During the early years, PCC served exclusively as the home for articles exploring psychiatric disease states; however, over time, it began to publish many articles about neurologic disorders as well. As the topic menu changed, so did the title from strictly psychiatry to its current focus on a broad range of central nervous system disorders, including depression, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, anxiety, addiction, Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, and palliative care to name a few.

PCC’s success is a testament to the hard work and dedication of its 2 editors in chief and many supporting associate editors. J. Sloan Manning, MD, the founding editor, molded its direction and scope. In 2003, the baton was handed to Larry Culpepper, MD, who expanded PCC’s reach and breadth of topics.

PCC began as a mailed offering, but as its global influence spread, it transitioned to an exclusively online publication, providing its growing audience easy access to content. Since its inaugural issue in 1999, PCC has published 669 articles and 1,063 features, including 624 case reports, 67 articles from the Rounds in the General Hospital section, and 106 Psychotherapy Casebook entries.

The PCC print edition was originally circulated to 38,000 readers and now attracts many times that number, as demonstrated by the 300,000 visitors who perused its pages last year. In 2018, we are on track to expand that online footprint with nearly 30,000 visitors in January alone.

Not only has PCC traffic expanded but so has the locus of its authors. In the early days, most submissions came from US researchers. At present, submissions come from 35 countries spanning the globe, including North America, Europe, the Middle East, Australia, New Zealand, and Asian nations.

Another measure of our success is the increasing number of requestors of our electronic alerts (E-Lerts) about new offerings. The roster of E-Lert recipients hails from all areas of medicine, including family practice and internal medicine, pediatrics, geriatrics, pharmacy, and nursing.

Yet, the most important element in PCC’s success is you, its readers. As publisher, I am overwhelmed by your support and loyalty and promise to continue garnering your support by publishing the highest quality clinical articles and features.

John S. Shelton, PhD

Publisher

Prim Care Companion CNS Disord 2018;20(1):18pn02287

To cite: Shelton JS. PCC: 20 years old and growing. Prim Care Companion CNS Disord. 2018;20(1):18pn02287.

To share: https://doi.org/10.4088/PCC.18pn02287

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