Patient education accessibility - Volume 24, Issue

Patient education that overcomes literacy barriers supports quality care. This article provides an overview of health literacy, describes the concepts of readability and accessibility, and discusses how to empathise with the patient's experience and…

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…

Using social media as the patient's voice in the benefit-risk assessment of drugs: Are we ready? - Volume 24, Issue

There is no doubt that the public interest in healthcare-related issues is growing. This, coupled with the surge in the use of social media, leaves the pharmaceutical industry with a set of unique opportunities and challenges. The screening and…

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…

Writing publications for advisory boards - Volume 23, Issue

Medical communication publications are designed to raise awareness of medicines, cosmetics, and technology. These publications ensure that doctors are informed about the role of new and existing medicines and the literature concerning appropriate…

Medical Communication - Volume 22, Issue

I'm sitting down to write this having just returned from the DIA Euro meeting in Amsterdam. As always, it was a busy and successful meeting, with many ‘themes’ of presentations being given at once. However, this year there were many presentations…

News from the EMA - Volume 26, Issue

Conditional marketing authorisations give patients access to important new medicines earlier January 23, 2017 – Conditional marketing authorisation (CMA) can speed up access to medicines for patients with unmet medical needs in the European Union…

Post-approval regulatory writing - Volume 23, Issue

Medical writing in paediatrics: Children and the future - Volume 21, Issue

‘Children are one-third of our population and all of our future.’ Select Panel for the Promotion of Child Health, 1981 With the falling birth rate I wonder if they still are a third of the population, but there is no doubt that they are our…

Writing for lay audiences - Volume 24, Issue

For most of us, medical writing is highly technical. We prepare regulatory or clinical documents or write materials targeted to medical doctors. Medical writing for lay audiences is different, and it does not come naturally to most of us because…