Medical writing is defined as communicating clinical and scientific data to a varied audience. This audience may include physicians, nurses, allied health professionals, pharmaceutical companies, scientists and even the general public.
Medical writing involves presentation of data and science in a way that is easily understood by people. Medical writing is an activity which involves writing scientific information in a logical and precise manner.
Apart from developing highly technical content for the medical community, medical content developers may also target the greater public and make them aware about the science and technology that design modern life.
In other words, medical writing is an art of writing about a particular content efficiently and clearly so that the target audience can well understand.
Medical writers can potentially assume the role of medical journalists by relating medical science to the broader social problems, like need of better healthcare practice, nutrition, food sanitation, immunization, family planning, social and political conflicts and their implications on mental and physical well-being and at the same time clearing the air of myths and misunderstandings related to diseases and their treatment; for instance, need for innovative drugs in life threatening diseases like cancer, modes of transmission of sexually related diseases (STDs) especially HIV ( Human Immunodeficiency Virus) and association of vaccination with disorders like autism.
The main purpose of medical writing, however, is to record data obtained through research and present the same in a professional, comprehensible and concise manner for dissemination within the medical, regulatory, pharmaceutical and healthcare industries. This research could include that of journals, websites, peer reviewed articles and books.
The practice of medical writing dates back to antiquity. The first medical writer documented in history is the mythical God Thoth who was worshiped in Egypt as the inventor of writing between 6000 – 30 BC.
As legend has it, Thoth is said to have created himself through the power of language. His writings concerned medicine, the body and diseases. This Egyptian god was the first documented writer who processed medical (then hidden) knowledge, by virtue of which he became “an infallible judge capable of rendering just decisions.” The history of medical writing can be divided into four ages namely:
AGE I – When medicine and writing became linked, exhibited by ancient medical texts that have recorded beliefs and traditions of various medical institutions of the past.
AGE II – When medical physicians became authors and began writing and spreading information through their literature. Medicine was now not only recorded but written and exchanged.
AGE III – When writing included scientific development, which led to all experimentation and evidence to be published and made available to the public.
AGE IV – When medical writing finally became more sophisticated and required incorporating multimedia, sounds and pictures.
The first scientific journal was published in the early 1600’s. Following this Louis Pasteur established his acronym IMRD (Introduction, Methods, Results, Discussion) as a format for publishing all scientific experimentation and research. Publication became an integral final step of research. Any research that was not published was void.
Medical writing is broadly divided into two categories:
1) Educational or Academic medical writing, 2) Marketing medical writing.
Educational or academic medical writing usually taken up by health professionals involves writing about research regarding various diseases and clinical conditions and its presentation in journals, articles and books.
With their science backgrounds, medical writers learn to write about medicine. Academic medical literature also involves preparing continuous medical education materials, brochures, newsletters, journals, scientific papers and peer reviewed articles.
Academic writing is further subdivided into Regulatory writing. Regulatory writing involves preparing a range of documents for regulatory submissions, like protocols, dossiers, case studies, clinical trial reports and manuscripts for publication in medical journals. This is also required by pharmaceutical companies to get their products registered with international regulatory authorities.
Marketing medical writing is often taken by graduates in journalism or literature and involves writing about development of drugs and creating content for pharmaceutical companies. With their literary background, they learn medicine as they write. Marketing medical literature often includes presentation, posters, teaching materials for medical representatives and health magazines.
Who can be a medical writer
The qualifications for medical writing are varied. As of 2004, 65% of medical writers at the American Medical Writers’ Association had masters or doctorate degree. And almost 50 % of them had a science background.
But apart from the academic qualification, a medical writer needs to develop and sharpen certain skills which include good writing and word processing skills.
Marketing any medical information requires thorough research and attention to small details, either in print or media. As a writer it is important to ensure literature that is free from grammatical errors. The ability to communicate effectively with others requires strong interpersonal skills.
In an effort to become a well-trained medical writer, knowledge is the basic and most important element, which needs to be frequently updated, for instance regarding new medical and pharmaceutical developments.
This can be done by reading newly published medical literature, along with the existing one. The knowledge about FDA and other medical regulating bodies and their guidelines needs to be updated.
Most medical reports and protocols involve statistics, so understanding basic statistics can help. Medical writing requires various different writing style guides and formats like American Psychological Association (APA), Vancouver and Harvard.
A good medical writer should be a thorough researcher, accurate and precise, logically organized, demonstrating a logical train of thought, easily readable without any complicated language or terms.
The content written must reflect a coherent thought process. Good medical writing should be credible and efficient. Good medical content should be transparent and simple not confusing and vague, transparency being its most important characteristic.
For medical writers today, the scope is vast. Depending on the qualifications and skills, medical writers can take up any role ranging from a freelance medical writer/editor to research associate, publication specialist, communications specialist, regulatory affairs specialist and so on.
The scope of medical writers is more extensive than any other discipline in the medical science ranging from working in hospitals and other health care centers, Journals and other publication houses, medical and pharmaceutical companies to advertising, marketing, communication and public relations agencies, clinical research organisations, government agencies such National Institute of health (NIH) and Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
Medical writing differs from writing fiction
Fiction writing/literary writing is creative, often considered an art while as, medical writing is a skill, often considered a craft. Fiction writing is based on the principles of personal style, fiction, and originality.
Its success largely depends on the creative imagination of the author. It is driven by an inner force and motivation. It is a desire within, to give life to words and thoughts that makes one a literary writer.
Literary writing involves translation of imagination into thrilling stories. Fictional writing can be made use of in giving messages and creating awareness on various important social, political and spiritual issues.
However, medical writing requires certain skills, to communicate scientific data in a logical manner. It involves little room for creativity and builds on skills required for effective communication of scientific data.
Medical writer converts evidence medical data into something powerful yet easily readable by people. He translates pure research facts into simple information.
Medical writing is an outcome of keen interest to report something new that has a potential to make difference in medical practice and desire to get feedback about a particular research work. Above all, it comes from a desire to contribute towards the advancement of science.
Unfortunately, in medical profession, it has lately come about as a way to improve one’s Curriculum Vitae (CV) to secure higher ranks as well as a way to fulfill the desire to be visible in print. But as someone rightly said, “if a medical writer writes to see himself in spotlight, better become a politician (underline that)”.
Anyone with the right amount of knowledge, perseverance and resilience towards contributing for the greater cause of society can climb up the ladder of success. And for the record, writing (medical or fiction) per se is all about absorbing and rising beyond negativity, rejection and discouragement throughout the journey.
DISCLAIMER: The views and opinions expressed in this article are the personal opinions of the author.
The facts, analysis, assumptions and perspective appearing in the article do not reflect the views of GK.