MedComms is a dynamic, creative career with exciting tools like AI writing tools, infographics, and project management software, making daily learning and storytelling experiences exciting and thrilling.

Tools For Medical Writing—An Introduction

Switching careers for dentists is never easy, especially when you’re trading dental drills for a desk or surgical gloves for a laptop —the transition can be overwhelming and sometimes less thrilling. But here’s the good part—MedComms or Medical Communications is a dynamic field with its own set of unique tools and resources that could make for an exciting career, either as a standalone choice or on top of clinical practice as a side hustle.

From AI writing tools and infographics to project management software, MedComms offers a treasure trove of tools that makes every day feel like a new adventure in learning and storytelling. Let’s dive into 5 essential tools for medical writing that you must know about.

What are MedCommsTools?

MedComms involves creating, managing, and delivering accurate, impactful, and engaging content in the healthcare, wellness and pharmaceutical industries. It could be both educational content for the patients or technical/business-like content between the key stakeholders in the healthcare industry.

Translating your clinical expertise into compelling, clear, and effective medical communication requires a specialized toolkit. They help streamline the workflow, ensure scientific accuracy, and enhance the presentation of complex information to diverse audiences.

5 Medical Writing Tools for a dentist-turned-MedComms Writer

Dentists-turned-MedComms often discover that their clinical background gives them a unique edge. The clinical expertise, patient management skills, and ability to work with different dental tools and devices together with these medical writing tools make for a robust career choice.

There are over a hundred tools that you can use in MedComms; here are the top 5 that you simply cannot do without:

Research Tools:

It all starts with research.

Credible and up-to-date research is at the heart of any medical writing project. As a dentist, you’re already familiar with clinical data, but now you’ll dive deeper and learn to search, extract and interpret data within the stipulated time.

PubMed, Cochrane Library, ClinicalTrials.gov, etc. have forever been trusted sources for biomedical literature, peer-reviewed studies, systematic reviews, and completed clinical trials. However, the recent AI applications have reshaped the face of academic research. A few MedComm research tools that come in handy are:

Google Scholar: This is a free, user-friendly platform offering extensive access to scholarly content but lacks extensive in-depth advanced filtering. Which is why Google Scholar can be a good start and must be accompanied by other tools.

Scopus: an eye on global research: This subscription-based tool may be expensive for a solopreneur, but it could be useful in searching for high-quality, peer-reviewed content with robust analytics when working on high-end projects.

Scite: This AI-powered platform analyses citation contexts to determine whether they support or contradict the referenced work. It identifies how a paper has been cited (supporting, contrasting, or mentioning), providing deeper insight into its impact.

Julius AI: This is an AI research assistant that specialises in statistical analysis and literature reviews, simplifying complex tasks for researchers.

Elicit: This AI tool aids semantic searches, research question formulation, and summary generation.

Each tool has its own unique strengths, catering to different aspects of the research journey. To make the best use of scientific platforms, pair Google Scholar with any of the research assistants and see the magic unfold.

Writing Tools:

Writing is the heart of MedComms; whether you’re creating patient education materials, regulatory documents, or journal articles, well-compiled medical content is welcome.

Microsoft Word: This is the ultimate writing tool, with features like track changes for collaboration and templates for consistent formatting.

Scrivener: This is particularly useful for managing larger projects like manuscripts or multi-section documents.

PerfectIt™: This tool ensures adherence to style guides like AMA or journal-specific guidelines, making your writing more professional.

Reference Management Tools:

The umbilical cord to research and writing is a well-organised methodical reference library and bibliography. In MedComms, the volume of references grows exponentially, requiring precise management.

Mendeley or Endnote: Combines reference management with collaboration features, perfect for team-based projects.

Paperguide : This is an AI-driven platform that aids in collecting, synthesising, and producing research papers.

Zotero: A more flexible, user-friendly option for managing and sharing references that are free to use.

Paperpal: An AI research assistant provides science-backed answers and citations from over 250 million research articles, enhancing academic writing.

AI Writing Assistants:

Even the best writers could use assistants to refine their work.

There are AI tools to polish the content, improve clarity, and ensure alignment with target audiences. AI tools act as your personal editors, ensuring that your writing resonates with the intended audience—be it patients, clinicians, or regulators.

Grammarly : Enhances grammar, tone, and readability, making complex medical language accessible to readers.

ChatGPT or Similar AI Tools: Helps brainstorm ideas, simplify dense content, or draft initial outlines for projects.

WordRake : Specifically for improving conciseness and removing unnecessary words in technical writing.

Project Management and Communication Tools:

Studies by the European Medical Writers’ Association (EMWA) say medical writers are reported to spend 60% of their time composing and 40% on project management. It involves juggling multiple deadlines and collaborating with teams. These tools are lifesavers:

Trello VN : These are project management platforms with visual task boards that help you track progress, prioritise tasks, and meet deadlines.

Slack : This project management platform ensures seamless team communication, particularly for remote collaborations. They also help schedule remote meetings, share workspaces and work collaboratively.

JIRA Experts : Jira is a powerful project management tool designed for agile teams, offering issue tracking, workflow customisation, and sprint planning.

Asana : Asana streamlines team collaboration with task management, timeline views, and project tracking, fostering productivity and accountability across workflows.

Managing the fast-paced MedComms workflow requires excellent organisational skills. These tools assist you in managing everything, from client feedback to regulatory reviews, thereby ensuring smooth project execution.

Takeaway

For dentists interested to pursue MedComms, your clinical knowledge is your superpower, and the right tools ensure higher chances of success. By enhancing efficiency, ensuring accuracy, and helping you communicate complex information effectively, these tools for medical writing, will not only transition smoothly but also thrive in the exciting world of medical communications.

Global Dentists’ Pool and the Premium Dental Advisors’ Program by NamNR Pro

The Global Dentists’ PoolTM by NamNR Pro is a platform for dentists and dental devices/service providers to navigate the MedComms landscape more closely.

For dental companies –

With more than 170 dentists spread across 28 countries, this Pool supports dental companies by helping them.

(1) Validate their design ideas by running surveys in a large global cohort of practitioners and/or

(2) Hire premium dental advisors and MedComms experts to support various clinical, regulatory, marketing, medical writing and sales projects.

These are all dentists with specialised MedTech expertise in different domains. The core focus is to avoid hiring multiple ‘non-dental trained’ freelancers and consultants and hire premium dental advisors instead, who are the perfect single substitute for multiple human resources in the form of one highly specialised advisor.

For dentists surgeons –

The Global Dentists’ Pool provides dentists, both general dentists and specialists, with opportunities to participate in dental projects without disrupting their clinical practice. The number of hours of engagement is flexible and dentists can upskill themselves by taking the “premium dental advisor program” which teaches how devices are made with medical device industry fundamentals.

If you would like to engage with us to support your project or advance your dental career, then reach out to us at contactus@namnrpro.org.

The Premium Dental Advisors’ Program (PDAP), an initiative of Global Dentists’ PoolTM by NamNR Pro, is an e-learning and mentorship initiative for dentists aiming to enter the dental tech field. It offers in-depth training in medical device development, regulatory requirements, and product strategy, empowering participants to consult on usability and clinical applicability. The program also facilitates networking with innovative dentists and dental tech companies, paving the way for career diversification.

Disclaimer:

This article was not sponsored by or created in collaboration with any of the companies mentioned.

Meet the Author

Dr Medha Gupta is an Implantologist, Medical Communication Expert & Global Dentists’ Pool member. She helps add brand value to medical/dental practitioners and HealthTech firms, by inscribing their thoughts in a language that speaks their key audience. As a content writer and reviewer in the health domain, her expertise adds trust to healthcare brands.