Medical Writing Communicating With the Public Visual aids in patient-focused drug development and routine clinical practice
mew-342-cover-imagejpg

Volume 34, Issue 2 - Communicating With the Public

Visual aids in patient-focused drug development and routine clinical practice

Abstract

Effective medical communication is critical for patient consent, adherence to treatment, and improved health outcomes. Visual aids, such as infographics, diagrams, and charts, have proven invaluable for enhancing comprehension, particularly of complex medical concepts like risks and numerical data. Historically, medical visualisations have played a vital role, from Renaissance anatomical atlases to modern-day graphical abstracts and patient-centred infographics. Innovations in visual communication underscore their transformative power in healthcare. Despite their long- standing utility, visual aids remain underused in patient information, which often suffers from overly complex language and poor design. The integration of visuals into clinical trial reporting, informed consent forms, and treatment plans has gained momentum, supported by guidelines advocating for patient-focused communication. Recent studies confirm that well-designed visuals improve comprehension, engagement, and equity in healthcare communication. As user-friendly tools become more accessible, visual aids will become integral in advancing patient-centred, inclusive healthcare practices.

Medical Writing. 2025;34(2):56–64. https://doi.org/10.56012/ucgj1753

Download the full article

Search

Articles

Editorial
From the Editor
Incoming President's Message
Outgoing President's Message
EMWA News
Celebrating its past, European Medicines Agency looks to the future of public communication
Towards electronic product information that meets the needs of everyone: Implications for patients, clinicians, and medical writers
Writing in plain language for the Summary of Safety and Clinical Performance: Communicating medical device safety and performance data to patients
Medical writers moving the needle on patient-centred communication and Engagement
Harnessing landing pages for effective patient enrolment in clinical trials
Ongoing patient engagement research efforts at the Centre for Pharmaceutical Medicine Research, King’s College London
Making medical communication accessible to all: A translator’s perspective
Visual aids in patient-focused drug development and routine clinical practice
Choosing language that recognizes the contributions of people who take part in research
Public perceptions of health information generated by AI: A research study
Considerations for the use of artificial intelligence in the creation of lay summaries of clinical trial results
News from the EMA
AI/Automation
Regulatory Public Disclosure
Getting Your Foot in the Door
Regulatory Matters
Publications
Biotechnology
Freelancing
My First Medical Writing
Abstracts from the 59th EMWA Conference Poster Session

Links

The Write Stuff Archive Contact Instructions for Authors Article Template (Word) Journal Policies

Editoral Board

Editor-in-Chief

Raquel Billiones

Co-Editors

Evguenia Alechine

Jonathan Pitt

Managing Editor

Victoria White

Deputy Managing Editor

Alicia Brooks Waltman

Associate Editors

Anuradha Alahari

Jennifer Bell

Nicole Bezuidenhout

Claire Chang

Barbara Grossman

Sarah Milner

John Plant

Sampoorna Rappaz

Amy Whereat

Section Editors

Daniela Kamir

AI/Automation

Jennifer Bell

Biotechnology

Nicole Bezuidenhout 

Digital Communication

Somsuvro Basu

EMWA News 

Adriana Rocha

Freelancing

Ana Sofia Correia 

Gained in Translation

Ivana Turek

Getting Your Foot in the Door

Wendy Kingdom / Amy Whereat

Good Writing Practice

Pablo Izquierdo / Alison McIntosh 

In the Bookstores

Maria Kołtowska-Häggström

Lingua Franca and Beyond

Maddy Dyer

Publications

Lisa Chamberlain-James

Medical Communications/Writing for Patients

Payal Bhatia

Medical Devices

Evguenia Alechine

My First Medical Writing

Anuradha Alahari

News from the EMA

Tiziana von Bruchhausen

Pharmacovigilance

Clare ChangZuo Yen Lee 

Regulatory Matters

Sam Hamilton

Regulatory Public Disclosure

Louisa Ludwig-Begall / Sarah Kabani

The Crofter: Sustainable Communications

Jeff Blair / Luiza Ventura

Veterinary Writing

Editors Emeritus

Elise Langdon-Neuner

Phil Leventhal

Layout Designer

Chris Monk