Laurel
Prokop of Techstyle Group Urges Need for Clarity in Medical Communication
at Fifth Annual Plain Language Conference in Washington, D.C.
HOUSTON, TX-Laurel Prokop, President and CEO
of Techstyle Group LLC, addressed the Fifth International PLAIN
Conference, November 3-5, 2005 at
L'Enfant
Plaza in Washington, DC. The Conference was hosted by the U.S.
Plain Language Action and Information Network (www.plainlanguage.gov)
and the Center for Plain Language (www.centerforplainlanguage.org)
in partnership with Plain Language Association International, or
PLAIN (www.plainlanguagenetwork.org).
As a panelist for "Health Literacy Basics," Laurel
focused on the importance of health and medical information being
clearly communicated between scientists and medical organizations—and
especially to the lay public.
(Her presentation, "Being Clear in Medicine:
Plain Language Works," can be viewed at
http://www.techstyle.com/clarity )
She stressed that medicine and writing are both sciences.
Each has similar components:
- ELEMENTS. Medical elements are chemical essentials like molecules,
atoms, ions, cells and biological basics like cells, particles,
and fluids. Writing elements are words, phrases, clauses, sentences,
paragraphs, titles and headings, and components like punctuation
marks and space.
- STRUCTURE. Medical structure is chemical or biologic in form.
Writing structure is sentence syntax and document organization.
- RULES. Both medicine and writing follow rules
or systems that are established and time-honored but also subject
to thoughtful
modification. Any rule or practice changes in either discipline
must be proven rational and then be accepted by all.
- ACCURACY. Without a question, medicine and writing both demand
accuracy to be effective.
- CLARITY. Accuracy demands clarity. If clarity does not exist
in medicine and writing, neither will deliver accuracy or precision.
Laurel summarized her presentation relating to a picture
of Hippocrates, and two appropriate quotations for which he is
famous:
- "First, do no harm."
- "The chief virtue that language can have is clearness."
As a reminder, Laurel handed out to Conference
attendees unique bookmarks confirming the message about the
science of
both medicine
and
writing.
(These are available at no
charge by emailing your request to clarity@techstyle.com, with
"Bookmark" in the subject.)
About Techstyle Group LLC
Techstyle Group LLC is a privately held company providing communication
and documentation services and consulting. It specializes in using
plain language to improve the clarity of content delivered to diverse
audiences
in many formats. Techstyle is a nationally certified, woman-owned
business that has operated since 1986. For
further information, visit www.Techstyle.com,
contact Techstyle Group LLC through media.tsg @ techstyle.com,
or call toll-free at 866-661-6660.
# # #
|
