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How to write patient education content for medicines?
How to write patient education content for medicines?
Dr.Nancy | Clinical and Medical Research Expert
15,Feb, 2025
Dr.Nanci | Research design and Mixed Methods Research. 30 Jan, 2025
Insights on Clearly Dispensing Medicine Information to Patients
According to an alarming statistic, almost half of the patients do not follow their medical prescriptions correctly [1][2]. While ‘lack of knowledge’ is considered a major factor responsible for this discrepancy, studies also show that patients do not feel satisfied with medicine-related information that they receive [1][3]. Simplifying medicine information and effectively communicating it with the target population is essential to bridge this gap.
Writing medicine educational content from the patient’s perspective
Patients generally prefer receiving medicine information from their doctor however, its written-down version serves as a handy tool for an instant memory refresh or even a future reference. Here are some crucial questions that patients want answers to when reading medicine information[3]:
- What is the name of the medicine?
- How to consume the medicine and the consumption frequency?
- What does the medicine intend to do?
- What could happen if the medicine is not consumed?
- How would one feel after consuming it?
- How long the medicine should be taken?
- Does it have any effects on other ongoing medications?
- Does it have any side-effects?
- What is the risk of side-effects with the medication in question?
- Can something be done to reduce or manage the side effects?
- Does it have a long-term negative effect on health?
How to produce patient-friendly medicine information?
The foundation of writing patient-friendly medicine information lies in breaking down complex topics into simple and reader-friendly nuggets of information [4] [5]. Other than thorough subject knowledge, here are some important aspects to consider that could help you produce a refined piece of medical content that is simple yet resourceful:
Write in plain language[2][4]
- Write the content in simple terminology, avoiding medical jargon.
E.g.: Replace pyrexia with fever
Replace hypertension with high blood pressure
- Write in active voice, using a conversational tone.
E.g.: Replace ‘This medication is to be taken twice a day, prior to meals’ with
‘Take this medication before meals, two times daily’
- Mention the expanded form of all abbreviations used.
- Always use consistent vocabulary. Choose one term—such as ‘doctor,’ ‘health expert,’ or ‘healthcare provider’—and stick with it. Interchanging these terms may confuse readers
- Use personal pronouns (you, we) to establish a connection with the reader.
- Develop a list of glossary that the reader can refer to. This will help them understand the necessary medical terms.
Presentation and design [4]
- Write in large fonts
- Maintain sufficient white space
- Write in points. Avoid long paragraphs.
- Use headings and sub-headings to effectively organize the content.
- Highlight the necessary points. Avoid using italics or cursive fonts as they are difficult to read.
Medium of distribution (digital print, leaflet, brochure etc.)[4]
Understanding your medium of distribution will help define the design specifications and presentation, along with the preferred language of your target audience.
Cut out the fluff[4]
When writing medicine-related content, use design elements such as colours and visuals to enhance the readability and comprehension of the content. Complicating the design elements or using a lot of colours may distract the reader from important information.
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Simplify information about side effects and benefits [2]
Explaining about side-effects
People may highly over-estimate the risk of side effects while reading about them in general. The risk of side effects can also be noted as its rate of occurrence, e.g., rare (affects less than 1 in 1000 people) or ‘affects less than 1 in 100 people’. This will help provide the readers a more practical and acceptable perspective.
Explaining about benefits
Benefits of a given medicine should be as clearly mentioned. Keep the content factual, but also drive home the point that the benefits of a medically prescribed medicine outweighs its harmful effects.
List the red flags
Do keep a separate list of red flags and emphasize the importance of seeking urgent medical attention.
List the red flags
Do keep a separate list of red flags and emphasize the importance of seeking urgent medical attention.
Mention sources and links [4]
Adding references at the end will direct the reader to authentic sources of detailed information. Mention hyperlinks and websites for further support and medicine-based resources.
Test it yourself [4]
Test your content on a small population before distribution or publication. You can conduct a self-assessment using various checklists available online such as the CDC Clear Communication Index. Readability formulas and calculators are easily accessible to analyse how easy it is to read and understand the content.
Key takeaway
Write with a clear aim of making medicine-based content accessible to patients, so that they find easy answers to their questions. Adding excessive information will defeat the purpose and will discourage the patients from reading further. Always remind your patient that this information serves as a handy tool rather than a substitute to personalized consultation with the doctor.