Re: Medical Software Industry

Subject: Re: Medical Software Industry
From: Sarah Stegall <siliconwriter -at- comcast -dot- net>
To: "TECHWR-L" <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com>
Date: Tue, 9 Nov 2004 14:18:25 -0800



On Monday, November 8, 2004, at 10:10 PM, Sonja Marnewick wrote:

Im new to technical writing and started a job as a writer in the Medical
Software industry, Practice Management Applications. [snip]
What I was wondering is, if you guys have any advice on specific layouts
for these types of manuals.

Sonja: I used to work in the medical software industry, particularly in software designed to translate medical images (X-rays, CAT scans, etc.) from analog to digital format so that it could be analyzed for anamolies (in diagnosing cancer, for example). The best piece of advice that I can give you is to know your audience. If you are writing a manual for, say, radiological technicians, keep in mind that this audience typically has lots of experience, a very high turnover rate, almost NO time to read manuals, and rarely has a four-year college degree. We focused on streamlined instructions, "cheat sheets" placed next to a machine, decals and stickers ON the machine, and a manual that was designed as a flip-chart with LOTS of illustrations. Please understand that I am not saying you should "dumb down" a manual, only that you should respect the users' time and experience.

On the other hand, if your audience is the professionals who use the output of the device (radiologists, for example, or in your case, medical practice managers), you are likely writing for a highly educated, very specialized audience who can quickly read and absorb complex procedures and concepts. High-level users will probably not want to know how to operate the machine (or the financial software, whatever); they will want to know what the information given to them *means* and how they can use it. Does a rising number of stomata indicate true metastasis, or can it be explained by the statistical model used in the imaging software? Is a falloff in billing hours attributable to increased efficiency or a declining client base? They will definitely want to know any theory or algorithm and assumptions behind the software. A chapter on theory and systems would be highly appropriate for this group.

What Im doing currently, is using the
following steps, and trying to keep it consistent to each topic
throughout the manuals"

1. Overview/Definition of topic

See above. I would provide this only to high-level managers; it only gets in the way of low-level operators. And I have no idea what "definition of topic" means. If you must have an overview, perhaps because you are producing one manual for two audiences, you might split it into an overview (bird's-eye) chapter for all readers, and a more technical chapter on algorithms and analysis clearly marked as optional reading for those who want to skip ahead. In fact, I started out putting the highly technical overview as an appendix, but changed my mind when doctors complained that it was hard to find. :)

2. Set-up/Imports/Technical
3. Accessing (buttons, menu's etc)

"Menus", not "menu's". If you are writing for the highly educated medical profession, learn how to form proper plurals. Excuse me, but I have seen five-figure sales proposals rejected by doctors who were offended at poor English skills. And yes, I have also met doctors who can't spell "IQ", but why take a chance?

4. Using the application (per topic)

Medical professionals might want this even as a separate, stand-alone piece. I once pulled a chapter out of a software manual and reformatted it for a group of doctors who wanted to know exactly what the output was telling them.

5. Working With (Quick start)


I now request meetings with them one by one, and take a single section,
work through it, pick their brains, ask my questions, and document it.

Good approach, but keep in mind that software changes very quickly. You also need to keep the integration straight in your head, so you can tie all the sections together in a whole.

Any input to make my life any easier??


Many software providers in the medical industry provide free, on-site training in their software for their users, or even for sales prospects. I can't think of a better, faster way to learn your company's own software than to ride-along on one of these. Is your company already selling a similar product? If so, can you get yourself invited along to a sales meeting, training session, or sit-down with a client? Even if the products are not similar, I'll bet the audience is, and you could not go wrong learning as much as possible about your readers.

Good luck. You have chosen an exciting and highly rewarding (personally, if not financially) industry to work in.

Sarah Stegall
Senior Technical Writer


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References:
RE: Medical Software Industry: From: Sonja Marnewick

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