The Rise of Patient Centricity
Traditionally, writing for patients and the larger lay audience consisted of informed consent forms, patient education materials, package leaflets, and articles reporting data from major medical meetings.
In the last several years, the pharmaceutical industry and regulatory agencies have recognized that it is vital to make information on healthcare products accessible and more understandable by the general public.
Overall, plain-language summaries should be non-promotional, short, avoid complex sentences and technical terms, and be developed for public audience that has no prior knowledge of a trial. Ideally, involving patients and their representatives in the review process can help to ensure that summaries balance accuracy and understanding.