What to Look For In a Healthcare Writer
3 minute read
One of the best ways to gain visibility for your practice and serve patients in your community is to provide engaging health content on your website that can be shared by email, social media, and beyond. But between the pressures of business management, insurance administration, and patient care, few healthcare providers have the time or staff to do so.
Whether you’re a part of a large hospital system or an independent health and wellness provider, partnering with a healthcare writer can be a great way to begin or improve your content marketing strategy. It sounds simple enough, but healthcare is a complex field, and it’s important to know what to look for in a writer.
Experience in the field they’re writing about.
Whether you’re a doctor, dentist, practice manager, or another health professional, you’re an expert in your field. The content you produce needs to reflect that expertise, which can present challenges for a content writer who most likely didn’t go to medical school.
The healthcare sector encompasses countless areas of specialty, each with specific terminology. Naturally, it’s helpful for the writer you work with to have experience with your field of practice. At a minimum, a healthcare writer should have enough knowledge to understand and communicate about medical conditions, use terminology properly, and communicate health information in a way that is beneficial to patients.
The ability to make scientific information accessible.
Writing about healthcare in an accurate and informative way requires a certain level of scientific knowledge. The most respected and reliable medical information also tends to be technical and research-heavy, which can make it difficult for the average health consumer to understand.
Creating engaging content requires translating that complex information into a format that is easy to understand. The right healthcare writer should have the talent to bridge the gap in understanding between the health expert and the general public, without sacrificing accuracy along the way.
Awareness of compliance and liability issues.
Healthcare as a field is constantly evolving, especially in 2020. New information comes to light every day, yet digital and print content needs to be absolutely accurate and represent not only what is known, but what still isn’t. Inaccurate information can put patients at risk and damage the credibility of the healthcare practice. Even when content is accompanied by a legal disclaimer, a healthcare writer should have an eye for detail, double-check terminology usage and be aware of potential safety and compliance issues.
Understanding of the context of care.
When hiring a healthcare writer, it’s important to take time to familiarize them with the people and communities you serve. Are you a family medicine group serving a largely Hispanic community or an orthopedist serving seniors? What are the most common questions your patients ask? The health concerns and interests of your audience will vary, and this should be reflected in your content and strategy. A healthcare writer should be able to understand the context and tailor content topics and overall strategy to what will best help the people you serve.
In short, your healthcare writer should be a source of support for your team.
No healthcare writer can match the level of expertise that a doctor, dentist, or other practitioner can provide. The health professional is the expert, and the writer’s job is, well, to write. The two must be able to work together to translate expert knowledge into compelling, patient-centered content. It can be helpful to think of a healthcare writer as a partner, someone who can take the time needed to share engaging information that strengthens the relationship with patients and the community.
Finding a healthcare writer who is the right fit can take time, but it’s well worth the effort. Your patients will thank you for it. And if you need help creating great healthcare content, just reach out—we work with writers who have experience in a wide range of healthcare fields. They can help you create the content and strategy you need, while you serve your patients and focus on what you do best.