HCA 130 Module 1 Writing Basics for Health Care Work Example

Clear on the First Reading: Writing Basics for Health Care Work

Student Name

Health Care Administration Program, Aspen University

HCA 130: Healthcare Writing and Communications

Instructor Name

Month Day, Year

Clear on the First Reading: Writing Basics for Health Care Work

Health care runs on writing. Front desk staff write messages to patients, medical assistants write notes in the record, billing specialists write appeal letters and managers write memos and reports. A vague message can send a patient to the wrong location, and an unclear note can lead to the wrong treatment. This paper reviews the basics of clear writing, audience, purpose, accuracy, concision, grammar and tone, and shows how each applies to everyday health care work.

Know the Reader

Every piece of writing begins with the question of who will read it. A message to a physician can use clinical terms that a message to a patient cannot. A letter to an insurer needs claim numbers and policy language; a note to a coworker needs only the facts that coworker lacks. Writers who picture a specific reader choose better words, include the right details and leave out the rest.

Why the Reader Matters So Much Here

Many patients struggle with health information. The 2003 federal survey of adult health literacy placed just 12% of adults at the proficient level; 22% scored basic and another 14% below basic, so more than one adult in three could handle only simple health texts (Kutner et al., 2006). Writing for patients as if they were health care workers leaves many of them unable to act on what they read.

State the Purpose First

Readers in health care are busy, so the main point belongs at the start. A message that opens with background and places the request in the last line may never be acted on. Writers should be able to state their purpose in one sentence, such as asking the patient to bring a medication list to Tuesday's visit, and put that sentence first.

Be Accurate

Accuracy covers facts, numbers, names and dates. In health care, a wrong date of birth or a transposed dose can cause real harm. Writers should check numbers against their source, spell names exactly as they appear in the record and avoid abbreviations that can be misread. When unsure of a fact, the writer should confirm it rather than guess.

Be Concise

Concise writing uses the fewest words needed to be clear, not the fewest words possible. Wordy phrases such as at this point in time or due to the fact that can become now and because. Long paragraphs can be broken into short ones, and lists can replace sentences crowded with items. Readers are more likely to finish, and understand, a short document.

Use Correct Grammar and Spelling

Errors in grammar and spelling distract readers and make them doubt the writer's care. In health care, they can also change meaning; hypertension and hypotension differ by one letter. Spell checkers miss correctly spelled wrong words, so writers must read their work again, ideally aloud, before sending it.

Choose a Professional Tone

Tone is how writing sounds to the reader. Professional tone is courteous, calm and respectful, without being stiff. It avoids blame, sarcasm and all capital letters. With patients, it is warm and plain. With colleagues, it is direct and polite. Tone matters most when the news is unwelcome, such as a billing problem or a canceled appointment.

A Before-and-After Example

The table shows a message a front desk worker at a composite clinic drafted to a patient and the revised version.

What the Revision Changed

The revision puts the action first, replaces office phrases such as per our records and at your earliest convenience with everyday words, spells out abbreviations and splits one long sentence into short ones. It also says medicines rather than meds. The meaning is the same, but a reader with basic literacy is far more likely to act on the second version.

Readability of Patient Materials

The need for this kind of revision is well documented. In a sample of 100 patient education materials from three widely used sources, average reading levels ranged from about the 9th to the 10th grade, above what many adults can read comfortably (Stossel et al., 2012). Health care organizations often recommend writing patient materials at a much lower level, and staff who write for patients should check their work with a readability tool.

Writing to Be Remembered

Even clear information is often forgotten. Patients forget much of what they are told during a visit, and what they remember is often inaccurate, especially when they are anxious (Kessels, 2003). Written instructions that repeat the key points in plain words give patients something to return to at home. Short sentences, headings and lists make those instructions easier to find and remember.

Applying the Basics

Before sending any document, a writer can ask six questions. Who is the reader? Is the purpose in the first sentence? Are the facts correct? Can anything be cut? Are grammar and spelling right? Does the tone fit the reader and the news? These questions take a minute and prevent many of the problems that lead to calls, errors and complaints.

Writing for Different Documents

The basics apply to every document type but look different in each. In a record note, accuracy and concision dominate, and the reader is a clinician. In a patient letter, plain words and a warm tone matter most. In an appeal letter to an insurer, the purpose and the supporting facts must be unmistakable. In a memo to staff, the change and each person's action come first. Later assignments in the course apply the same six basics to each of these forms.

Conclusion

Writing basics matter more in health care than in most fields because readers act on what they read, sometimes with their health at stake. Knowing the reader, stating the purpose first, checking facts, cutting extra words, correcting errors and choosing the right tone make writing clear on the first reading. For many patients, clear writing is the difference between understanding and confusion.

References

Kessels, R. P. C. (2003). Patients' memory for medical information. Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine, 96(5), 219-222. https://doi.org/10.1177/014107680309600504

Kutner, M., Greenberg, E., Jin, Y., & Paulsen, C. (2006). The health literacy of America's adults: Results from the 2003 National Assessment of Adult Literacy (NCES 2006-483). U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics. https://nces.ed.gov/pubs2006/2006483.pdf

Stossel, L. M., Segar, N., Gliatto, P., Fallar, R., & Karani, R. (2012). Readability of patient education materials available at the point of care. Journal of General Internal Medicine, 27(9), 1165-1170. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11606-012-2046-0