Primarily designed for students seeking careers in healthcare communication, this book also serves as a useful guide for nascent practitioners. Healthcare writing audiences are diversifying, from traditional physicians and patients to administrators in government and insurance groups as well as technical practitioners. Writing for these increasingly diverse healthcare audiences is the focus of this book, which has just enough theory to lay groundwork, plentiful examples to illustrate how theory is practiced, summaries that highlight key points, and realistic practice exercises.
In addition to the emphasis on diverse audiences, the book stresses the importance of the writing process, from pre-writing to final editing. The book includes writing checklists for completeness and accuracy, and it incorporates many helpful real-world examples of healthcare documentation.
Comments
“Robert J. Bonk, the noted authority on writing in the pharmaceutical industry, provides highly useful and sensible coverage of what writers need to know to craft texts within a range of healthcare professions. In concise chapters that make good use of sample documents from many medical contexts, Bonk relies on a solid rhetorical underpinning to encourage writers to be alert to the importance of purpose, audience, and genre in designing medical documents. He covers the practicalities of researching and writing from medical sources, and he offers advice on designing both documents and their accompanying visuals. Bonk’s book should prove popular on many campuses in the growing number of undergraduate courses in healthcare communication.” — Stephen A. Bernhardt, University of Delaware
“I particularly value Bonk’s attention to the different kinds of potential audiences for healthcare information, the purposes the writing might need to serve, and the ethics involved in presenting such material. Putting ethics right up front, then showing how those ethics apply (even at the beginning of the process when you are selecting sources of information), is an essential part of becoming an effective healthcare writer. This book is also notable for how well it integrates the mechanics of clear communication with real-world examples of texts healthcare writers need to produce.” — Lili Fox Vélez, Scientific Writer and Editor
List of Figures and Tables
Acknowledgments
Preface
CHAPTER 1: PRELIMINARIES OF HEALTHCARE WRITING
- Chapter Objectives
Thinking as Readers, Not Writers
Overview of the Writing Process
Inputs and Outputs of Healthcare Writing
Typical Documents for Healthcare Writers
Ethical Responsibilities of Healthcare Writers
- Social Contract of Professionals
Ethics, Respect, and Sensitivity
Healthcare Writers as Advocates
- Chapter Summary
Exercises for Practice
CHAPTER 2: AUDIENCES FOR HEALTHCARE INFORMATION
- Chapter Objectives
Primary and Secondary Audiences
Categorization by Knowledge Level
Writing Techniques for Audience Groups
- Layperson-Focused Example
Administrator-Focused Example
Practitioner-Focused Example
Researcher-Focused Example
- Focus on Non-Researcher Audiences
Chapter Summary
Exercises for Practice
CHAPTER 3: SIMPLE STRATEGIES BY PURPOSE AND CONTEXT
- Chapter Objectives
Audience, Purpose, and Context
Input Conditions into Output Parameters
Simple Strategies for Simple Situations
- Spatiality
Chronology
Specificity
Importance
- Chapter Summary
Exercises for Practice
CHAPTER 4: COMPLEX AND NESTED STRATEGIES
- Chapter Objectives
Complex Strategies for Complex Situations
- Problem, Method, Solution
Classification and Partition
Comparison and Contrast
- Nested Strategies and Signposting
Chapter Summary
Exercises for Practice
CHAPTER 5: RELIABLE SOURCES OF INFORMATION
- Chapter Objectives
Accessing and Assessing Healthcare Sources
Traditional Sources in Hard-Copy Format
Expansive Sources in Electronic Format
Expeditious Searches for Information
Effective Selection of Search Engines
Substantiation of Document Content
Chapter Summary
Exercises for Practice
CHAPTER 6: EVIDENCE THROUGH TEXT ARGUMENTATION
- Chapter Objectives
Evidence as Building Blocks
- Classical Rhetoric for Persuasion
Induction and Deduction
Cause and Effect
- Chapter Summary
Exercises for Practice
CHAPTER 7: EVIDENCE THROUGH VISUAL DISPLAYS
- Chapter Objectives
Evidence Built with Graphics
Tables for Data Compilation
Figures for Data Portrayals
- Line Graphs
Column Graphs
Pie Charts
Other Visuals
- Additional Notes on Visuals
Chapter Summary
Exercises for Practice
CHAPTER 8: WRITING MECHANICS FOR HEALTHCARE
- Chapter Objectives
The Power of Writing Mechanics
Building Blocks of Syntax
Hierarchy of Sentence Structure
Avoidable Problems with Syntax
- Restrictive Sense of Relative Clauses
Misplaced and Meaningless Phrases
Active, Passive, and Nominalized Verbs
Pronouns, Expletives, and Other Foibles
- Chapter Summary
Exercises for Practice
CHAPTER 9: GENERALIST AUDIENCE OF LAYPERSONS
- Chapter Objectives
Strategies for Laypersons
- Analysis of the Composite Layperson
Constraints of Health Literacy
Plain-Writing Strategies for Laypersons
- Document Examples for Laypersons
- Educational Materials for Laypersons
Web-Based Information for Laypersons
- Chapter Summary
Exercises for Practice
CHAPTER 10: MANAGERIAL FOCUS OF ADMINISTRATORS
- Chapter Objectives
The Growing Role of Healthcare Administrators
Establishing the Administrator Focus
Document Examples for Administrators
- Proposal Requirements for Financial Grants
Processing Coverage and Reimbursement Claims
Summarizing Details for Executives
- Chapter Summary
Exercises for Practice
CHAPTER 11: SCIENTIFIC DUALITY OF PRACTITIONERS
- Chapter Objectives
The Duality of the Practitioner Audience
- Respecting Scientific Knowledge
Tailoring for Application
- Techniques for Practitioner Audiences
- Strategies that Balance the Duality of Roles
Mechanics that Facilitate Practical Use
- Document Examples for Practitioners
Diagnostic Overview of Angina Pectoris
Protocol Procedures for Clinical Trial
Training Materials for Public Health
- Chapter Summary
Exercises for Practice
CHAPTER 12: REVISION TO FINALIZE DOCUMENTS
- Chapter Objectives
Challenges of the Postwriting Stage
Microediting vs. Macroediting
Cohesion and Coherence
Diagnostic Tools for Postwriting
- Automated Checks of Spelling and Grammar
Analysis of Syntax and Readability
- Chapter Summary
Exercises for Practice
CHAPTER 13: LEGAL AND ETHICAL RESPONSIBILITIES
- Chapter Objectives
Legal Responsibilities of Healthcare Writers
- Governmental Regulations
Confidentiality and Informed Consent
Copyright and Fair Use
- Evolving Responsibilities as Professionals
Chapter Summary
Exercises for Practice
Index
Robert J. Bonk is Professor of Professional Writing and Director of Professional Writing Programs at Widener University.
For a sample from chapter 1 of Writing for Today’s Healthcare Audiences, click here. (Opens as a PDF.)
