Contributing to allergyguide.ca

Thanks for checking us out! If you're interested in clinical allergy and immunology and would like to help out, connect with us (see the mail button at the bottom of the page).

TODO:

# Content:

- Make example articles for 1) a condition 2) macro 3) research landmark article
  - Chronic rhinosinusitis, landmark trials (ie. omalizumab and CSU, SYGMA, peanut immunotherapy, Xolair/Dupi for CSU, LEAP)
  - done: medication example
- Topics to add:
  - Pediatric medicine crash course
  - add non-ige mediated mast cell degranulation section (with specific sections with things like IV iron, NAC, alcohol, opioids, etc)
- guideline compilation section (not sure if there's a way to automate this unfortunately)
- sections for pdfs for not only patient handouts but how to use inhalers, etc.

# Lower priority content:

- port original pen-fast questions over with extra options; need to see if .PDF js packages are possible.
- creation of video resources if time permits
- Billing tips (would have to be province specific -- VERY fellow focused)

# Site:

- Figure out how to make website more visible to web crawlers -- while it is indexed the homepage is not showing up on search?
- Optimize .PNGS used (see https://github.com/shssoichiro/oxipng and https://abridge.pages.dev/overview-abridge/#optimize-png-ico-files

# Organizational:

- fully flesh out contribution process
- set up example google drive
- Reach out to staff re: supporting the project / funding?
- team structure?
  - main editor: josh
  - main staff: ?TBD
  - other editors: ? other fellows interested -- ~3-4? to coordinate the editing process and reaching out to staff
    - Medications, Research, Topics (? editors mix and match categories or we assign from the start?)
  - editors who also can code / contribute: 1-2 but if needed Josh can do all of this (less sustainable however)

# Shortcodes:

- popout icon (ie so you can show research supporting things)
- consolidate and make light/dark themes for original admonitions
- a better question and answer dropdown section

# Other stylistic:

- fix / make custom banner.png for the site
- Decide on design of home page -- ? macros, spt generator, topics? Will add FOAMmed stuff
- Add author pictures to about

Contribution process

Content

Prerequisites: A) there are staff available to proofread drafts for topic sections B) there is an editor who can take charge over the 'section' C) We have a google drive "Resident Contributor Dashboard" (i.e. showing available topics and who’s working on what) to organize our efforts

1. Resident or fellow picks a topic they wish to do, and connect with editor for that 'section' (to be defined later)
2. Timeline is set for 1st rough draft (~ 2 weeks?)

• These drafts can be done through Google Docs drive somewhere for ease of use. While technically it can be done through markdown and version controlled through git, this lowers to barrier to entry.

3. Editor and contributor back and forth initial edits
4. Edited draft is sent to staff, necessary edits are made
5. Editor / Josh / someone with some coding knowledge will add content into website

Website / coding

Prerequisites: you are reasonably comfortable with markdown, html, js, scss/css, and git. To learn the structure of the website, please refer to the Zola documentation. Pages are written in markdown with Tera templating. Josh will be the main person approving pull requests for the time being. Re: adding content to website -- there are some formatting nuances, and a myriad of shortcodes that can be used.

Stylistic Principles

General writing guidelines

• Be concise and clear -- the intended use is for residents
• Use clear, structured formatting (headings, bullet points, tables) for readability
• Avoid passive voice where possible
• Abbreviations are fine but must be defined
• While a single topic might be quite complex (i.e. asthma), each page is still meant to be relatively simple -- the goal is not to be a comprehensive textbook. Link to a resource that goes more in depth at that juncture, or to another subpage.

General formatting guidelines

• Bullet points: Prefer over long paragraphs; no periods at the end of items
• Emphasize key points: Use bold, color, and highlights
• Tables/Figures: Only if they enhance understanding (e.g., decision algorithms)

Content guidelines

Macros

• Contains family doctor focused blurb about the condition (ie. pathophys, prognosis)
• Investigations
• Recommendations: non-pharmacologic, pharmacologic

Example:

Topics

Not all topics will fit this general structure; this is meant as a general scaffold. Pearls, tips, pitfalls, etc. should be intermixed throughout the topic -- ideally, the page is not just a solid mass of bullet points. See here for some styling options you could use. If you're comfortable with .html/.md, see shortcodes for the full suite of options available.

• Macro to c/p
• Summary:
  • Condition name, epidemiology, pathophysiology, manifestations, diagnosis, management.
• Definitions:
  • Things to know up front before reading the article
  • Abbreviations
• Presentation
  • Clinical: (history and exam)
  • Labwork:
• Diagnosis:
  • Criteria / approach
  • Differentials
• Investigations:
• Management:
  • Usual:
  • Special circumstances:
• Natural history / prognosis:
• Patient resource sheet:
• Quiz yourself:
• Further Reading:
  • clinical guidelines
  • other sources
• Authors:
  • Primary: list
  • Reviewers: list
  • Editor: list

Styling options available

Insert admonitions or callouts to draw attention to key facts.

Add images. You can either have them take up the full width, or push them to the side (left or right):

Here is some text on the left.

And here is some more text!

Here is some BOLDED text

example caption

You can also add tables in markdown:

Medications

• categories include: antihistamines, inhalers, nasal sprays, topicals, steroids, DMARDs, biologics, eye-drops
• monographs will be statically hosted and linked. Filenames formatted as: genericname_2016_1, where the year is of the last revision and the last number is if there are multiple monographs that year for that drug
• see the medications.toml file for more detail

Example:

[bilastine]
categories = ["2G antihistamine"]
brand_names = ["Blexten"]
cost = [{ province = "ON", price = "~$1 CAD / 20mg tab" }]
moa = "2nd generation H1 antagonist."
half_life = "~15 hours"
routes = "PO tab, liquid (uncommon)"
doses = [
  { indication = "CSU, AR", dose = "20mg PO OD to QID", notes = "adult dosing" },
  { indication = "CSU, AR", dose = "10mg PO OD to QID", notes = "pediatric dosing" },
]
pearls = ["Theoretically does not cross BBB"]
age_group = ">=12 years of age; has been used off-label in younger children"
pregnancy = "Avoid (not enough data)"
contraindications = "Hypersensitivity, QT prolongation or history of torsades"
side_effects.common = "QT prolongation; drowsiness (4%); headache (4%). For reference, drowisness/headache had a 2% incidence rate in placebo arm"
side_effects.severe = "Torsades (very rare)"
monograph_links = ["../monographs/bilastine_2021_1.pdf"]

How it'll actually look:

Research appraisals

Systematic review vs primary evidence

• Metadata
  • Title
  • Year
  • Journal
  • Trial name
• PICO + Conclusion
• Figures -- will be hosted statically
• Description
  • Background
  • Objective
  • Methods
  • Results
  • Limitations
  • Conclusion