Out On Our Own - Volume 22, Issue

Editorial We hope that you enjoyed the summer months and found time to step away from your desks and relax. This time last year, Kath organised her first ‘Medical Writers’ Retreat’, the aim of which was to provide an opportunity for fellow…

Out On Our Own - Volume 23, Issue

In this issue of Medical Writing - Volume 23, Issue

Some of you might remember the old days when writing was done with a typewriter, spreadsheets were big pieces of paper, and slides were printed on film. Thanks to computers, these are old memories, and we can all be much more productive. Software…

The Investigator's Brochure: A multidisciplinary document - Volume 23, Issue

The Investigator's Brochure (IB) is a multidisciplinary document that summarises the main elements of an entire development programme to date. Although the IB also serves other purposes, it is primarily written to enable investigators conducting…

Document management systems for medical writing - Volume 28, Issue

Clinical trial data are rightfully protected by robust regulations; given these requirements and increasing demands from clients, a validated and compliant electronic document management system is now a necessity for established medical writing…

Gained in Translation - Volume 24, Issue

Editorial Welcome to the Translation Section editorial! What we call ‘lay-friendliness’ is a key characteristic of Patient Information Sheets (PIS), which are tightly regulated on a European level to guarantee a comprehensible document that…

In the Bookstores - Volume 27, Issue

In Strategic Scientific and Medical Writing: The Road to Success, Pieter Joubert and Silvia Rogers describe how to identify the target audience, construct key messages, and recognise the desired outcome of your document to make your writing more…

Cosmetic regulatory writing - Volume 23, Issue

On 11 July 2013, a new regulation for cosmetics was applied in Europe, Regulation (EC) 1223/2009, replacing Directive 76/768/CEE. This new regulation clarifies the roles and responsibilities of all stakeholders and introduces new notions such as…

French breast implants, the Medical Device Regulation, and a theoretical case study - Volume 26, Issue

Abstract The 2010-2011 Poly Implant Prothèse scandal triggered a review of the Medical Device Directive. This resulted in a new Medical Device Regulation that was approved this year. It contains many changes, and many questions will arise when…

The needs assessment in continuing medical education - Volume 23, Issue

The needs assessment component of a continuing medical education grant proposal document describes why a specific programme should be developed. Medical writers frequently play a central role in producing the needs assessment as an important first…