Why Hire a Nurse Writer? – Part 3
Not only do you need someone who writes well, you need someone who researches well. There is a lot of health information, and misinformation, out in the world. You can find information everywhere, from research studies to healthcare entity websites to personal blogs. It can be overwhelming. Where do you begin your search? What type of information do you need? How do you know if it is reliable?
Nurses know exactly how to dig through all this information, pick out the reliable and pertinent parts, and then convey it in a manner that is easy to understand. Training in critical thinking and understanding research papers starts in nursing school.
Studying the Article
As nursing students, nurses study research papers and medical information. Part of their training involves learning to understand each part of a research paper. They learn to decide if the paper is skewed in any way, how strong the research is, and if it comes from a reliable source.
When researching, these are what nurse writers do:
- Asking the 5 Ws: who, what, when, where, why, and how
- Is the information current?
- Is the information biased?
- Is the author an authority in the area of research?
- How does the source compare to two other sources on the same subject?
The Publisher
They also look at where the article is published. There are some places where articles are published that are more reliable.
Peer Reviewed
Articles published in a peer-reviewed magazine or website are considered of the highest quality. There are checks that a published article must go through, including being read by other scientists to determine how good the research is. Often, these sites are for professional organizations or the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
Government Sources
Articles located on sites that contain the .gov in the address can also be considered of high quality. Information here is taken from peer-reviewed articles and experts in their fields.
Healthcare Entities’ Websites
Another reliable source for nurse writers, healthcare entities maintain accurate information on their sites for their patients. Pulled from their healthcare professionals, peer-reviewed sources, and government sites, these websites are trustworthy for information.
Health Information Websites
Containing lots of good information, healthcare information websites often have biases that need to be taken into account. The information is often accurate but will be biased based on what type of site it is. Their views can be skewed if they are trying to promote or sell you something. You also have to make sure who is writing their articles. Was this written by a healthcare professional or just someone on staff? Also, look to see if the article was reviewed by a medical professional or not.
Interpreting Research for the General Public
Knowing what information is most reliable is only the first step to nurse writing. The second step is taking that information and conveying it in a manner that anyone can understand.
To keep their papers or articles short and concise, many people use terms that are used specifically for their area of study. While others in their field can understand these easily, not many other people can.
Nurse writers can interpret information from medical terms to layman’s terms.
Know your information
First, nurses need to read the information and understand it. Once they have the information, then they can translate that for others.
Know your audience
Understanding who they are speaking to or writing with tells the nurse how much to translate and what exactly needs to be translated. People who have been dealing with a certain condition for many years have a better grasp on medical terms than those who are at the beginning of a new to them condition. Knowing their age and education level is also key to interpreting medical terms.
Know how to weed out extraneous information
There is a lot of information on most health conditions and facts. Some of it does not aid people in understanding what is going on with their bodies. Nurses know the basic information that is most important for patients to understand at that time.
Know what information applies to the broadest group of people
Nurses also understand that some medical information only pertains to certain people and not to others. When addressing a large group of people, as opposed to a single person, they know what information is needed for everyone to know. They also know when to include information that pertains only to certain people.
Conclusion
Hiring a writer for your business, website, or print publication can be a challenge. You want to hire someone who is not only an excellent writer but can understand the information well. Hiring a nurse writer is one of the best things you can do.
They are the most trusted professional group. Nurses can speak in both medical terms and layman’s terms, allowing them to move from speaking with other healthcare professionals to patients quickly and smoothly.
They are also excellent researchers. Finding the best quality sources and then translating that information in the best way for the widest audience to understand.
Follow the links to read Part 1 and Part 2 of Why Hire a Nurse Writer.
The Nurse Writes 