Why hire a

medical writer?

AFP Wordlink 

Alison Palkhivala / Writer-editor

You may be wondering why you need a medical writer at all. If you have staff in-house with expertise in the subject matter, can’t they put together whatever documentation you need? The answer is, probably not. Here is why:

1. Information collation: Maybe the information you need in a single document is available online, in a stack of published papers, in the heads of a few of your experts, and perhaps on the audio file of a recorded conference. A medical writer knows how to collect this information, review it, address gaps and inconsistencies, and put it together in one comprehensive document that is easy and engaging to read.

2. Talking to your audience: Whether you want to convince patients to take their medication, physicians to give your product a try, or the government to fund your research, dropping a generic document in their lap is not going to do the job. A medical writer can determine what your audience needs to know and then write to their level of interest, expertise, and education.

3. Professionalism: Ever sit down at a restaurant to a menu full of typos or flip through a company brochure that doesn’t seem to make any sense or have a clear point? Often, the written word is your client’s first contact with you. You want them to know you are professionals, so hire a professional to prepare your documentation.

4. Speed: Ever try to get a report written during your down time in between jobs? Does anyone really have down time at work anymore? If you want something written, hire a writer to do it properly and expediently.

5. Insight: Medical writers are first and foremost communicators. Not sure how to get your message across? Trying to decide between a brochure, graph, or video? We can help.