As health misinformation spreads and artificial intelligence (AI) becomes more widely used, the need for clear, accurate health communication continues to grow. For writers interested in health communication, it is crucial to understand key strategies for effectively communicating health information to the general public.
What is Health Communication?
Medical writers focused on health communication write and edit materials for lay audiences. Writers who work in this area may create a variety of materials, from patient education and decision aids to health care public relations and medical journalism.
Specific skills for health communicators include health literacy, user experience, and how to navigate legal and ethical issues.
Health communicators work in an array of settings, including public health offices, media publications, government agencies, and hospitals or outpatient medical environments. Health communication is also a common type of medical writing for freelance medical writers.
Why Health Communication Matters
Health communicators often craft content that educates public audiences. Through channels ranging from brochures and websites to social media and news outlets, health communication can reach large audiences.
A primary goal of health communication is to promote health literacy. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), personal health literacy is “the degree to which individuals have the ability to find, understand, and use information and services to inform health-related decisions and actions for themselves and others.”
Health communicators play an important role in supporting health literacy by creating content that helps people make informed decisions about their health.
Effective Health Communication Strategies
Here are some strategies for communicating health information clearly and effectively to the general public.
Tailor Your Message for a General Audience
Health communication requires not only knowledge about health and medical topics but also the ability to communicate with audiences who have varying levels of health literacy and health numeracy, or the ability to understand and use health-related numbers and statistics.
Your audience may include people with a wide range of age, education levels, reading levels, and cultural backgrounds. Writers sharing health information must be able to explain complex medical topics clearly, accurately, and in plain language.
Explain Why a Topic Matters
Every writer should understand—and articulate—the purpose of their content. For health communicators, it’s also important to clearly explain to their audience why the information matters. What does it mean for their health or well-being? How could it affect their lives? Why should they care?
Helping readers understand the relevance of a topic lays the foundation for informed health decisions. In many cases, health communicators also use evidence-based behavior change strategies to encourage and support healthy choices.
Provide the Right Level of Detail
Medical writers in health communication must strike a careful balance between oversimplifying health information, which can leave out important details or case-specific information, and confusing readers with medical terminology or technical information.
Providing the appropriate level of detail helps the audience understand the information, recognize its importance, and determine what it means for their health.
Retain the Human Touch as Technology Advances
Tools such as readability formulas, which calculate the grade level of content, and AI tools that can generate text and images have the potential to help health communicators streamline their work. However, these tools have limitations and should complement, not replace, human judgment.
The AMWA Journal article “Rethinking Readability Metrics in Medical Communication: Are Common Readability Formulas Still Useful?” highlights several drawbacks of readability metrics, including inconsistent readability scores and an inability to gauge reader interest. The article emphasizes that effective health communication depends not only on reading levels but also on the uniquely human ability to engage readers emotionally and intellectually.
AI-generated content can introduce biases that contribute to misinformation and, ultimately, health disparities. The AMWA Journal article “Artificial Intelligence Bias in Health Communication: Risks and Strategies for Medical Writers” identifies common AI biases and their implications for medical communication. The article stresses the importance of human oversight to identify and correct bias, misinformation, and other errors AI may introduce.
Tips for Effective Health Communication
Here are a few best practices for creating health communication that resonates with public audiences.
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Answer the reader’s implied “So what?” question as soon as possible.
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Avoid unnecessary medical jargon.
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Use storytelling—case studies, anecdotes, interesting quotes from subject matter experts—to craft content that is engaging and moving.
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Write using active voice (and second person when appropriate).
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Use plain language and simple sentences that could be understood by readers whose first language is not English.
Future Opportunities in Health Communication
Health communication is an evolving field with new technologies and communication channels changing how writers reach public audiences. Whether you are new to the field or moving into it from another medical communication area, continuing to build your skills through professional resources and networks can help you stay current and grow your career.
Health communication can be challenging, even for experienced medical writers. Communicators working in other medical writing specialties can begin by identifying opportunities to develop health communication skills within their current specialty. For instance, they could start with plain language summaries of clinical study results or educational brochures for medical equipment or therapies with which they are already familiar.
Medical communicators have an important role to play in making health and medical information easy to understand, evaluate, and use. By applying health communication strategies thoughtfully, writers can help turn complex medical information into clear, relevant content that supports health literacy and informed decision-making.
