Medical Writing – What Does a Medical Writer Do?

Medical writing is a profession dedicated to the communication of medical, scientific and health information, including research reports, consumer (patient) information, and regulatory documents.

What is a Medical Writer?

A professional medical writer is someone who has an adequate understanding of medical, scientific and health terms and concepts, and the skills to translate such information into a variety of formats for different audiences. Medical writers come from various backgrounds and can find work in a variety of fields.

Backgrounds

There is no formal course of entry into the medical writing profession, though many medical writers come from the following backgrounds:

University Graduates

A bachelor’s degree in biomedical science, health science or biotechnology.
Many employers seek writers with a graduate degree (PhD or masters).
A degree in medical/science/health communication or journalism.

Clinicians

Some medical practitioners, including GPs and specialist physicians, have an interest in sharing their knowledge and experience and may do medical writing on the side or transition into the profession.

Other Healthcare Professionals

Nurses, dieticians, physical therapists and other allied health professionals may also engage in medical writing or transition into the profession.

What Does a Medical Writer Do?

For the most part, medical writers write things, but what exactly do they write? Medical writers are most commonly tasked with producing or assisting with the production of technical, informative, educational, or promotional medical content. The specific jobs that a medical writer may do will depend on their background, expertise, skills, and area of employment.

Types of Work

Examples of the types of work a medical writer may do, grouped by area of employment, are listed below.

Pharmaceutical/Biotechnology Industry

Clinical trial publications
Clinical trial protocols
Study reports
Consumer medicine/device information
Product marketing

Contract Research Organisations

Preclinical research reports
Clinical trial protocols
Participant information and consent forms
Study reports
Clinical trial publications

Healthcare Organisations and Institutions

Hospitals, health insurance companies, not-for-profit, private practices
Educational content
Health promotional content
Clinical research publications
- Case reports, case series, cohort studies
Conference abstracts and presentations
Grant writing
Patient stories

Government Agencies and Regulatory Bodies

Regulatory documents
- Clinical data and literature summaries
- Protocols
- Annual safety reports
Post-marketing documents
- Consumer medicine/device information

Medical Publication Industry

Medical/scientific journals, book publishers
Manuscript proofreading
Copyediting

Medical Communications and Marketing Agencies

Health promotional content
Educational information
Marketing materials
Website content
Social media content
Slide decks

Medical Journalism

Health/medical/scientific news articles
Patient stories
Blogs
Podcasts
Transcripts

Freelancing

Various jobs for various clients.

Skills and Requirements

There are no formal degrees or prerequisites for becoming a medical writer, however, there are some key skills that a professional medical writer should possess, though this also depends on the type of work.

Key Skills

Familiarity with medical terminology and concepts
- A knowledge niche is common amongst medical writers
Strong written communication skills
- Grammar, spelling and punctuation
- Clarity and conciseness
- Ability to write for a range of audiences
Strong research skills
- Literature/reference searching
- Critical appraisal of medical and health literature
- Fact-checking
Analytical skills
- Interpretation of research data and statistics
- Visual presentation of data (tables, graphs, diagrams)
An understanding of the ethical principles and legalities that apply to medical communication and publication.

Medical Writing Guidelines

There are a number of recommendations and guidelines that the professional medical writer should follow.

COPE

Committee On Publication Ethics
Guidelines for publishers, journals and editors

ICMJE

International Committee of Medical Journal Editors
Recommendations for the Conduct, Reporting, Editing, and Publication of Scholarly Work in Medical Journals

EQUATOR

Enhancing the QUAlity and Transparency Of health Research
Guidelines for reporting health research

GPP

Good Publication Practice guidelines
Developed and published in 2003
“to ensure that clinical trials sponsored by pharmaceutical companies are published in a responsible and ethical manner”
Updates driven by the International Society for Medical Publication Professionals (ISMPP)
GPP3 is the latest version

The Benefits of Having a Medical Writer

If the above information hasn’t already convinced you of the benefits of enlisting a medical writer, here are some evidence-based advantages (according to GPP3):

Publications produced by or with a professional medical writer are:
- Well written;
- Compliant with reporting guidelines;
- More likely to be accurate and complete;
- Less likely to be retracted.
Acknowledging medical writers (as opposed to ghost writers) shows:
- Integrity;
- Accountability;
- Responsible and transparent reporting in publications and presentations.

References & Resources:

American Medical Writers Association: https://www.amwa.org
- “Ultimate Guide to Becoming a Medical Writer”. https://info.amwa.org/ultimate-guide-to-becoming-a-medical-writer
Australasian Medical Writers Association: https://www.medicalwriters.org
European Medical Writers Association: https://www.emwa.org
- “A Career Guide to Medical Writing”. November 2016 edition. Available via: https://www.emwa.org/training/a-career-in-medical-writing
Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE): “Promoting integrity in research and its publication”. https://publicationethics.org
International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE): http://www.icmje.org
International Society for Medical Publication Professionals (ISMPP): https://www.ismpp.org
The EQUATOR Network: Enhancing the QUAlity and Transparency Of health Research: http://www.equator-network.org
Anand G and Joshi M. “Good publication practice guideline 3: Evolving standards for medical writers”. Perspectives in Clinical Research. 2019; 10(1): 4-7. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6371703
Battisti WP, et al. “Good Publication Practice for Communicating Company-Sponsored Medical Research: GPP3”. Annals of Internal Medicine. 2015; 163(6): 461-464. https://www.acpjournals.org/doi/10.7326/M15-0288
Sharma S. “How to Become a Competent Medical Writer?” Perspectives in Clinical Research 2010; 1(1): 33-37. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3149406
Wager E, Field EA and Grossman L. “Good publication practice for pharmaceutical companies”. Current Medical Research and Opinions. 2003; 19(3): 149-154. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1185/030079903125001767

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