Particular readers

This branch covers writing for particular readerships and reading situations: compulsory or voluntary readers, patients and regulatory assessors. It divides patient communication into information needs and empathic writing. Defining a document’s purpose, describing a general readership, choosing level and register, and prompting action sit outside this branch.

• Readers who must read and readers who can stop — reasons for reading, attention, partial reading and holding readers who can leave
• What a patient reader needs, and when — changing needs through illness, information sources, context, research, trials and care
• Writing with empathy for patients — patient perspective, credibility, language choices and experiences of illness and treatment
• Writing for a regulator or assessor you will never meet — learning about the reviewer, key messages, evidence placement, concision, disclosure and useful cross-references