Does the thought of writing medical summaries give you an instant headache? While we know this can be a detailed and complicated task, there are plenty of ways to make it easier!
Medical summaries, also known as chronologies, are a detailed summary of a patient’s medical history, as relevant to a court case. Knowing how to write them is an important skill, but how can you make sure your summaries are impressive and free from errors?
To learn more, keep reading to find our top tips on writing chronologies that are free from mistakes.
Don’t Rush
When preparing medical summaries, we recommend you take your time and don’t rush! A medical summary is a complex document and sorting through piles of paperwork means it’s easy to make mistakes if you’re not paying close attention.
Try to focus on the task at hand and avoid distractions to help you from making accidental errors. It can also help to ask a colleague to review parts of your work, looking for any mistakes you might have missed.
Keep a Medical Dictionary Close By
One key thing to remember about summaries is that you’ll often need to translate medical terminology into simpler words that the average person would understand. Doctors and specialists often use words that a layman wouldn’t know.
Since your summary will be read by non-medical people such as lawyers and jury members, try to keep a medical dictionary with you when working, since you can use it to look up definitions and simplify things.
Over time, it gets easier, but when you’re just starting out, you’ll have plenty of terms and phrases that you’ll want to look up.
Outsource
If you don’t have the time or inclination to work on medical summaries, one of your best ways to get it done is outsourcing.
You can hire companies to write medical chronologies for you, creating expert-level, professional documents. These are sure to be error-free and are a huge asset to the case.
Summarize Accurately
Often, summaries involve creating short summaries and long and complex topics. It helps to know how to summarize effectively when writing.
You’ll want to know your audience and their levels of understanding on the topic, then try to pick one or two key points that you want them to remember.
A summary is often required at both the beginning and the end of a medical document.
Use These Tips to Improve Your Medical Summaries
With these tips, you can improve your medical summaries in no time at all. These documents need to be written to a professional standard, free of errors, and easy to read—although it may take some time, you’re sure to get better the more you practice.
Medical summaries are in high-demand for law firms,. medical practices, and insurance companies, so it’s a fantastic skill that can boost your career prospects.
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