Improving patient communication by writing with empathy - Volume 21, Issue

Medical writers’ texts are either written for specialists or for non-professionals such as patients and their relatives. Medical writers whose work is intended for patients cannot merely impart facts. They also need to demonstrate that they…

Medical Communications and Writing for Patients - Volume 28, Issue

The more eagle eyed among you will have noticed that we are changing the title of this section to “Medical Communications and Writing for Patients”. Not the shortest of titles, I know, but hopefully it is a more accurate reflection of the content…

India as a hub for ethical and evidence-based medical communications - Volume 22, Issue

Ethical and evidence-based medical communications are gaining increasing importance in emerging pharmaceutical markets, outside of North America and Western Europe. In large pharmaceutical companies resources are limited, and small and mid-sized…

Medicines information for patients: Insights into research and practice for medical writers - Volume 21, Issue

Many people do not take their medicines as prescribed, and medicines can cause harm if not used appropriately. In addition, in most health systems there is increasing discussion about involving patients in decisions about their health – including…

Medical writers moving the needle on patient-centred communication and engagement - Volume 34, Issue

Patient and public involvement and engagement (PPIE) in clinical trial design, conduct, and reporting provides an opportunity for patients and members of the public to provide input on what is important to them. This supports patient-centric trial…

Medical Communications and Writing for Patients - Volume 31, Issue

In this issue, the Medical Communications and Writing for Patients section features two articles. The first piece, by Simon Linacre,  is a summary of the excellent work just completed by the Med Comms SIG. They have devised, run, and collated the res…

A rising tide: Hospitals and social media - Volume 21, Issue

The advent of social media has changed the face of healthcare communications. More and more hospitals are recognizing this fact and seeking to integrate tools like Twitter® and Facebook® into their own communications strategies. This article gives…

Origin and development of English for Medical Purposes. Part II: Research on spoken medical English - Volume 23, Issue

In the second part of the review on ‘English for Medical Purposes’, I present the main results of the research conducted on spoken interaction in medical settings. I start with those EMP studies that have a clear pedagogical goal, followed by EMP…

Package leaflets for medication in the EU: The possibility of integrating patients’ perspectives in a regulated genre? - Volume 24, Issue

Package leaflets (PLs) have been legally required to accompany medicines in the EU since 1999. Despite the best intentions and efforts, however, they are generally not well-received by the public for whom they are intended. This paper picks up on…

Medical Communications and Writing for Patients - Volume 33, Issue

Section Editor: Lisa Chamberlain James

Involving patients in company-sponsored medical publications: Learning from collaboration with a patient advocacy group to engage patient authors

Authors: Aki Yoshikawa, Atsuko Iwata, Miho Hatano, Yuko Koji…