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As well as being a veterinarian, I am a medical writer. I am passionate about communicating health and medical information with the public. With the rise in social media, I see an increasing trend in the number of veterinarians writing for the public. This is a fantastic way of engaging pet owners and of disseminating accurate health information. But quite often when I read veterinary posts, I ask myself, “How much of this post will the public understand?”
Veterinarians, generally, are not trained in how to communicate complex medical information. As veterinarians, we need to be aware of our audience and their level of understanding. As an example, I once saw a dog with enlarged lymph nodes (glands). After a five minute discussion with the owner on what this might mean for their dog, the owner hesitantly asked, “So, what’s a lymph node?” At that stage in my veterinary career, this was something I hadn’t even thought an owner might not understand.
I also remember a discussion with a veterinary specialist. I had written an article encouraging owners to look after their dogs’ teeth. The specialist criticised my use of the word ‘tartar’ rather than using the correct terminology of ‘calculus’. I stuck with the word ‘tartar’ because my aim was not to educate on terminology but to encourage owners to brush their animals’ teeth. People generally know the word tartar but not calculus and, for all intents and purposes, they are the same. I saw no need to complicate the message.
When it comes to communicating with the public, it is important to be accurate but it is also important to be aware of your audience, their level of understanding, and to have your aim in mind. If you want to help pets and their owners, then it is important that they understand your message.
The average level of health literacy in the population is that of a 14-year-old. You need to write to what a 14-year-old will understand.
This can get tricky because it can be hard to realise which words are jargon when you’ve been in the business for a while. I went to write ‘proliferate’ the other day but a simple survey of the nurses soon let me know that this was a word that not many would understand. A good trick is to ask some people from the public to read your writing before you post. Ask your mum to read it!
If the topic requires complex terminology or topics, break them down and explain them. Try simplifying your main post and providing links to more detailed information if the reader should wish to follow them.
What does this mean? It means using short sentences (of 20 words or less) and using common, everyday words. Avoid words with more than three syllables.
Active voice is much easier to read than passive voice. For example, “I saw this dog”, rather than “the dog was seen”.
Humans respond more naturally to stories and remember them better. Tell your message in a story and don’t be afraid to use inclusive terminology, like I, we, and you.
People tend to keep reading if your writing is easily scannable. Make use of headings, subheadings, bullet points, lists, and bold and italic fonts.
Keep one point to each paragraph and make sure there is lots of white space between paragraphs.
These are only an insight into writing in plain English for the public. There are lots of good resources available to learn more. For example, check out the Health Writer Hub.
Keep writing because practice makes perfect. As far as I’m concerned, if more veterinarians can disseminate easily readable, clear, and accurate health information to the public, then that’s a fantastic thing.
This post was originally published on LinkedIn Pulse 21.10.18
Dr Meredith Crowhurst is a Melbourne University veterinary graduate with more than a decade of experience, working with domestic pets. She understands the importance of the human-animal bond and her aim is to treat pets and their owners with empathy and compassion, delivering the best standard of care. Previously, Meredith completed a Bachelor of Arts/Bachelor of Science degree and completed her PhD in biomedical sciences. As well as treating animals, Meredith’s aim is to educate and make medical science knowledge accessible to all. She is available for medical writing jobs in both the human and medical fields. A portfolio of work and contact details are available at Empathic Health Writing / Medical Writing. You can also check out her Instagram blog: @drmerryoliveveterinarian.
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