With so much digital content vying for our attention, medical communicators need to harness the power of visual communication. Otherwise, high-quality health care messaging could end up buried in a sea of social media reels and misleading posts.
Today’s medical communicators have access to tools for creating engaging visual content. Visual elements such as graphs, maps, infographics, and images can keep health care content visible to target audiences while elevating health care communication in significant ways.
Health care or medical public relations (PR) is a growing niche for medical communicators that involves translating and sharing complex medical information with a general audience of patients and consumers.
Public relations professionals—both freelance and those employed by companies—play important roles by sharing news of medical discoveries, promoting products, and educating consumers.
This article was written by Bill Ostrem, PhD, and is based on content presented by Abbie Miller, MWC, at the AMWA Medical Writing & Communication Conference. Additional session reports are available in the AMWA Journal.
Today's communication and media landscape offers medical writers a multitude of venues or "channels" for their writing. How do you as a medical writer choose an appropriate channel for a given purpose? And how do you tailor your message for that channel?
In recent years, medical communicators have been creating documents called plain language summaries (PLS) to help patients, caregivers, and the general public to better understand the latest scientific findings and clinical trial results.
The terms plain language summaries (PLS), plain language summaries (PLS) for clinical trials, plain language summaries for publication (PLSP), and plain language writing can be confusing — and are sometimes used interchangeably. Although each term has a different application, the documents share a single goal: to work toward inclusion and empowerment of nonexpert audiences.
We do not live in a world where everyone — regardless of race, gender, gender identity, disability status, or income level — has the same access to high-quality health care, adequate housing, or nutrition. As a result, health outcomes are vastly unequal, causing marginalized populations to experience lower life expectancies and higher levels of preventable diseases.
We live in an increasingly globalized world, and the field of medical communication is no exception. In fact, most medical writers and editors are creating materials for a global scientific audience.
A number of helpful resources, online and in print, exist to help people write clear, translatable prose for global audiences.
Fake political news has dominated the headlines over the past few years, but the proliferation of science denial and misinformation about health and medicine has also caused widespread concern.
If patients and consumers don’t understand patient education materials — or don't know what action to take after reading or viewing them — those materials aren’t doing their job.
The result could be confusion, disengagement, or poor health outcomes.
But how do we know whether health education materials are effective? One important health literacy tool that is used to assess patient education materials is the Patient Education Materials Assessment Tool (PEMAT).
By Charlotte Crowder, MPH, ELS, Freelance Medical Writer and Editor
Use these tips to help medical writers create plain language, ethically sound informed consent documents with easy-to-read formats for participants in investigative clinical trials.
This blog is based on content presented by Kathi Whitman, MA, Senior Medical Writer/Project Manager, Intermountain Healthcare, at the AMWA Medical Writing & Communication Conference and published in AMWA Journal v 31 n 4.
Making medical decisions can be challenging and frustrating. So many options and possible treatments exist, and doctors aren’t supposed to tell patients what to do.
One of the more direct applications of medical writing skills is helping patients to make informed choices about their health care.
As a medical writer, chances are high that you’ve crafted a document or two without your byline attached. After all, much of the content medical writers create doesn’t require authorship. If you’re interested in advancing your career and seeing your name in print, consider medical journalism. Nurturing relationships with publications that focus on health and well-being for a public audience is also a smart move for freelance medical writers. Having bylined publications can fortify your position as an expert in medical communication.
Talking so everyone can hear
We have heard the words “equity” and “inclusion” many times in recent months. But we may not all have connected them with our work as writers and editors in health, medicine, and science. How can medical communicators help create a more equitable, inclusive world?
As writers and editors, we can play a role in giving all people the opportunity to understand and use health information so that they can participate in clinical trials, understand their health care providers’ instructions, and take other actions that help reduce and eradicate social, economic, and health disparities.
The medical communication field is well established and growing rapidly. From regulatory writing to medical copywriting, many paths, employers, and projects await newcomers to the profession. Whether you're a new graduate, a veteran marketing writer, or even a scientist interested in expanding your skill set, medical copywriting could be a lucrative niche.
Amid ongoing global health issues and a shifting economy, many experienced medical writers recognize an opportunity to expand their skill sets. For writers interested in moving into health communication, it is crucial to understand the difference between writing for a professional audience and communicating health information to the general public.
To work in health communication, you need both detailed knowledge about health care and marketing and the ability to manage a variety of editorial and writing tasks.
Whether you’re starting out in health communication or considering a shift from another type of medical communication or medical writing, these tips can help you succeed.
This article is based on content presented by Debbie Dakins and Colleen Cronin, at the AMWA Medical Writing & Communication Conference. It was originally published in the AMWA Journal.
You’ve heard the phrase “Put words into action”? Well that, my friends, is what I’m going to attempt to do here. In this recap of the 2016 AMWA conference presentation “Six Steps to Writing Content That Moves People,” I will try to apply what I learned from Debbie Dakins and Colleen Cronin’s tips to help writers create informational materials for the general public that can inspire and motivate people to make changes to improve their health and wellbeing.
This article is based on content presented by Kathi Whitman, MA, at the AMWA Medical Writing & Communication Conference. It was originally published in the AMWA Journal.
Imagine your loved one has been newly diagnosed with a chronic disease such as end-stage renal disease, breast cancer, or obstructive sleep apnea. Owing to the stressful diagnosis, your loved one may have trouble taking in new information and choosing among numerous treatment options within a limited time. Can your medical writing skills help this difficult process?
As medical writers, the heart of our work is to convey information to a specific audience. Writing for patients, we are trusted with interpreting highly technical information to educate, protect, enable, and empower our readers. The result of poor understanding can be directly harmful to health. However, successfully informing patients leads to better health outcomes, including more preventative care and fewer hospitalizations.
In this post I offer 3 questions that will help you use plain language effectively and successfully when writing for lay audiences.
Health literacy is important for improving people’s long-term health and quality of life. In an ideal society, health literacy would be high and people would regularly take preventative measures to protect their health, manage chronic conditions, and have better health outcomes.