Why is quality control so important in medical writing?
We are all human. We all make mistakes. So, what’s the big deal if the odd error or typo sneaks into our work? Well, each and every mistake in a document can distract the reader, so they focus on that rather than the content or, even worse, will make the reader question the accuracy and reliability of what they are reading. In medical communications, we develop materials aimed at patients, doctors, nurses and other healthcare professionals, so it is essential that our audience not only understands and absorbs the information presented without distraction, but also has confidence in the validity of the content. Therefore, quality control is vital.
So, how can we prevent errors creeping in?
As a writer, you can read, read, and re-read your work, until you are completely happy with it, but often, a writer will fail to spot their own mistakes. This is because our brain knows what we intended to write, so this is what it will see when you read it back, no matter how many times you check it – you are blind to the errors. A fresh pair of eyes can immediately spot these errors and correct them. Furthermore, an experienced and thorough editor will review all aspects of the content, considering sentence structure, overall flow, tone and messaging, as well as looking out for the dreaded typos; helping to ensure that the content is as good as it can be.
The content produced also needs to be accurate and a fair representation of the evidence to comply with regulatory and legal obligations and to maintain the reputations of both the agency and client. A writer could easily misinterpret a statement, so having a second person check all claims and data against the cited source is crucial in scientific and medical writing.
With numerous aspects to consider during an editorial review, checklists are invaluable in providing a methodical process to ensure nothing is forgotten. Additionally, a comprehensive style guide helps to ensure consistency, both within and across materials, and captures a client’s particular format and language preferences.
In addition to a thorough edit, a proofread of the final draft by someone other than the writer or editor, provides a completely fresh perspective and helps to ensure all errors and inconsistencies are picked up.
Ideally, the more ‘eyes’ that see a piece of work the better, as the greater the chance of any errors being spotted. That’s why we always make sure the final deliverable has been reviewed, edited and proofread, both by those familiar and unfamiliar with the document content. This gives us confidence that the content we deliver has been thoroughly vetted and is as close to perfect as possible.
While absolute perfection may be an unrealistic goal, with the right processes in place we can get very close to it!
