If you’re a medical writer like me, we know that finding the right medical writing prompts can be challenging, especially since accuracy is essential for this type of content. That’s why I’ve created this resource, an extract from my full ChatGPT course.
It includes a checklist of effective prompting techniques and examples of AI prompts for medical writers – from generating article ideas to adjusting tone and formatting. I hope this guide helps you get more accurate and relevant ChatGPT responses, while saving you time in your medical writing process.
Disclaimer: These prompts are meant to inspire and organise content, but remember: AI responses should be just a starting point. I always review and refine AI-generated suggestions and recommend you do the same. Adding your own expertise, insights and fact-checking ensures the final content is accurate and unique. For a deeper look at ethical considerations when using AI, see my guide on ChatGPT for Medical Writing.
Effective Prompting Techniques: Checklist for Medical Writers
When crafting prompts for ChatGPT, try to be as specific as possible and provide context to improve the quality of responses. It’s likely that it will take multiple prompts to reach the desired output.
Top tip: To ensure greater accuracy, I rely on my own research for studies or expert opinions and provide this information by copying and pasting it, rather than asking ChatGPT to look for this data.
Here’s an example of a well-structured prompt:
“Act as a medical writer creating educational material for patients recently diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes. Provide a patient-friendly overview that explains the role of insulin in managing blood sugar. Use an accessible, reassuring tone, avoiding technical jargon, and format the response as a brief two-paragraph explanation. Summarise the information based on the following treatment guidelines and expert recommendations: [insert summarised key points here]. Highlight the importance of lifestyle changes alongside medication management and avoid using any patient identifiers or discussing individual patient cases.”
Below is a breakdown you can use as a checklist to guide the structure of your prompts:
1. Role
Clarify ChatGPT’s role to match the tone and perspective needed.
Example Prompts: “Act as a medical writer” or “Respond as a healthcare educator.”
2. Audience
Define the target audience’s level of expertise to adjust complexity.
Example Prompts: “Create educational material for patients recently diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes”, “Explain for a general audience” or “Use language appropriate for healthcare professionals.”
3. Objective
Specify the purpose or goal of your medical writing piece to guide relevance.
Example Prompts: “Provide a patient-friendly overview that explains the role of insulin in managing blood sugar”, “Summarise key findings” or “Provide a patient-friendly overview.”
4. Tone and Style
Indicate the tone or style to align with your audience.
Example Prompts: “Use an accessible, reassuring tone, avoiding technical jargon”, “Use a formal, clinical tone” or “Make the language engaging and accessible.”
Top tip: When adjusting tone, I find it helpful to “feed” ChatGPT with well-written examples of health content. These could include materials from the brand you’re working for or other well-crafted sources that serve as inspiration. For example, if you’re working on blog articles, you can refer to these inspiring Health Blog Examples as a useful model for adapting ChatGPT’s responses.
5. Formatting
Set the formatting needed for your work (list, outline, paragraph).
Example Prompts: “Format the response as a brief two-paragraph explanation” or “Summarise this research article in bulleted points for a quick reference guide.”
6. Length
Specify length expectations if needed to control conciseness.
Example Prompts: “Provide a brief two-paragraph explanation” or “Summarise in 150 words.”
7. Context or Background Information
Add any context that supports your piece.
Example Prompts: “Summarise current treatment guidelines and include context on the importance of lifestyle changes alongside medication management” or “Summarise for a healthcare policy briefing.”
8. Other Ethical Considerations
Address any additional needs, like privacy or confidentiality, such as reminding ChatGPT to avoid sensitive patient information.
Example Prompts: “Avoid using any patient identifiers or discussing individual patient cases” or “Explain without using patient identifiers.”
AI Prompts for Writers to Generate Ideas and Develop Medical Content
1. Topic Ideas for Articles or Social Media
- Use Case: Quickly generate ideas for relevant and engaging topics for articles, blog articles, or social media content on medical and healthcare subjects.
- Example Prompt: “Suggest five article topics on recent advances in oncology for a general audience.”
2. Structured Outline Creation
- Use Case: Develop a structured outline for articles, reports, or presentations, providing a strong framework on which to build detailed content.
- Example Prompt: “Generate an outline for an article on telehealth for chronic disease management.”
3. Interview Question Suggestions for Medical Experts
- Use Case: Generate thoughtful, targeted questions for interviews with healthcare professionals, researchers, or other Subject Matter Experts (SMEs).
- Example Prompt: “List questions to ask a cardiologist about …”
4. Simplifying Complex Terminology
- Use Case: Break down complex medical terms or concepts into simpler language, useful for patient education materials or for writers who need a clearer understanding. I found ChatGPT also useful in inspiring me on how to facilitate understanding in my work – for instance by suggesting ideas of analogies.
- Example Prompts: “Explain the term “gene therapy” for someone with no medical background” or “Explain this term for a 12-year-old by using a simple analogy.”
Research and Referencing Prompts Tailored for Medical Writing
1. Generating Research Hypotheses or Questions
- Use Case: Develop targeted research questions or hypotheses to kickstart research proposals or explore new study ideas.
- Example Prompt: “Suggest three research questions about the effects of digital health tools on patient outcomes.”
2. Summarising Research Articles
- Use Case: Create concise summaries of complex studies for quick reference or review, making it easier to grasp key findings without reading the entire text.
- Example Prompt: “Summarise this study on diabetes treatments in 150 words.”
Top tip: For inspiration on evidence-based answers, try using the Consensus AI tool alongside ChatGPT. Consensus.ai helps you search scientific literature and find relevant studies based on the healthcare topic or questions you’re writing about.
3. Identifying Gaps in Literature
- Use Case: Identify under-researched areas within a topic to inspire unique research directions or support literature reviews with new angles.
- Example Prompt: “What are current research gaps in paediatric asthma studies?”
4. Formatting References
- Use Case: Ensure citations adhere to standard styles, such as AMA, saving time and ensuring accuracy in citation formatting.
- Example Prompt: “Format this citation in AMA style for a journal article.”
Editing and Optimisation Prompts for Medical Writers
These prompts are tailored to help medical writers optimise their work to meet the needs of specific audiences and maintain high standards in clarity and style.
1. Adapting Tone for Specific Audiences
- Use Case: Tailor the tone and style of content to suit different audiences, such as healthcare executives or patients, to ensure that the message resonates appropriately.
- Example Prompt: “Rewrite this section to be appropriate for a healthcare executive audience.”
2. Improving Readability and Clarity
- Use Case: Enhance the clarity of complex medical information while preserving a professional tone. This makes the content accessible without losing accuracy.
- Example Prompt: “Edit this paragraph for clarity while keeping it formal.”
3. Ensuring Consistency in Style and Tone
- Use Case: Ensure that the document’s tone and style remain consistent throughout, particularly for formal publications, such as clinical research papers.
- Example Prompt: “Check this section for consistent tone and style suitable for a clinical research paper.”
4. Visual Content Suggestions
- Use Case: Generate ideas for visual elements, such as diagrams, graphics, or illustrations, to help illustrate complex medical concepts.
- Example Prompt: “Suggest a visual idea to illustrate the progression of heart disease.”
Get Help from an Experienced Medical Writer to Keep Improving Your Medical Writing Skills
If you enjoyed the AI prompts for writers in this article, you’ll love my upcoming ChatGPT email course! Designed specifically for medical writers, this course will provide even more tailored prompts to help you enhance clarity, credibility, and engagement in your medical content. With over a decade in health communications, I’m here to help you build a writing practice that educates, inspiresand stands out in healthcare.
- Sign up for my ChatGPT course to discover more practical prompts and strategies for effective medical writing
- Join my subscriber list for insights and updates on using AI in medical writing
- Connect with me via the CONTACT button for one-on-one mentorship and expert guidance on growing your skills and expertise in the field
References
- OpenAI. (2023). ChatGPT [Large language model]. https://chat.openai.com (Accessed 14 November 2024).
