Writing for patients and the public - top tips for medical writers скачать в хорошем качестве

Writing for patients and the public - top tips for medical writers

Jayne Packham, a medical information, medical affairs and ABPI Code of Practice trainer and consultant, talks about the challenges of writing well for patients and the public and provides her top tips for medical writers. Recorded 1 March 2017 at a MedComms Networking event in Oxford. Produced by NetworkPharma.tv = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = ABSTRACT: Writing for patients and the public is an amazing skill. The average UK reading age is that of a 9- to 12-year-old child, so as writers we must remember to keep sentences short and avoid jargon. We will need to translate technical medical terms, replacing ‘pharmacovigilance’ with ‘drug safety’, and ‘adverse event’ with ‘side effect’, for example. However, we also need to avoid being patronising and dumbing down, and to bear in mind the target audience. Writing for an expert patient group, we must avoid telling them what they already know. Whatever the audience, it is important to have a clear plan, put the key information first, and keep the text personal. The sentence: ‘If you need more information, please ask your doctor, nurse or pharmacist’ is a lot more patient-friendly than: ‘More information can be provided by the prescribing healthcare professional’. Similarly, it is important to use correct, consistent, patient terminology. If you do not have the luxury of being able to talk directly with patients to find out what terms they routinely use, patient information leaflets and patient websites can be useful alternatives, as can patient associations. Layout is also critical in patient-focused materials. Avoid dense paragraphs of text, and try instead to incorporate white space, use headings as signposts, and tabulate information or use graphs. Consider the text formatting too: block capitals are aggressive, while italics slow down the reader and underlining can be mistaken for hyperlinks. Written by Penny Gray, Freelance Medical Writer = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = Jayne’s Linkedin page is at   / jaynepackham   More about Jayne Packham Consultancy can be found at http://www.jaynepackham.co.uk Filming and technical direction by Mario Crispino, Freelance Cameraman & Editor = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = We are building a library of free recordings, like this one, for a global pharmaceutical industry audience at NetworkPharma.tv and we’d welcome your suggestions for new topics and speakers. For the avoidance of doubt: this video is intended to be freely accessible to all. Please feel free to share and use however you like.