Improving patient communication by writing with empathy

Abstract

Medical writers’ texts are either written for specialists or for non-professionals such as patients and their relatives. Medical writers whose work is intended for patients cannot merely impart facts. They also need to demonstrate that they comprehend the patient's emotions – they must write with empathy. Empathic texts are intelligible, credible, and are written from the patient's perspective. They can help patients realistically appreciate their situation and assess the advantages and disadvantages of different therapy options. In this way, empathic writing can promote health-conscious behaviour and can foster treatment adherence.

Keywords:

• Empathy
• Patient communication
• Intelligibility
• Patient's perspective
• Credibility

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Stefan Lang

Stefan Lang is a scientific and medical writer. He offers scientific and medical writing services as well as training in scientific communication. He holds a Ph.D. in molecular biology. After many years in academic and pharmaceutical/biotech research, he began working freelance in 2007.

Marc Esser

Marc Esser is the founder of co.faktor GmbH, a company providing medical writing, medical education, and medical affairs support. He holds an M.D. and an M.B.A. Before founding co.faktor, he worked in clinical development, medical affairs, and marketing at Bayer Schering.

The authors offer a one-day workshop on patient communication. In addition to empathic language, this workshop also addresses aspects of graphic design and approaching patients by means of various media.