Style Guide

Style Guide

The MRHA have identified a range of issues to be considered by writers of Patient Information Leaflets. For example, patients have difficulty in reading and understanding:

- Densely packed blocks of text
- Information which is split across columns
- Use of capitalisation
- Decimalisation

At Cognisant Research we have developed a style guide to assist pharmaceutical companies writing patient information. Covering everything from appropriate font sizes and styles, Cognisant work with our pharmaceutical clients to ensure that information is clear and free from jargon. Pictograms are also a much under-used method of communicating potentially complex information, particularly effective with target patient groups which have poor literacy skills.

If properly structured, the cost of improving patient information need not be prohibitive. Taking steps to improve the real quality of patient information, over and above the regulatory requirements of the MHRS, demonstrates to patients a real commitment to care.