Storytelling meets Medical Writing

 

Facts and theories are boring.

 

Stories are interesting.

 

It is a human psychology that has been set this way that our attention gets grabbed by stories. That is why; I believe as a writer or as a speaker, storytelling is an important attribute that we need to master.

Psychology states, our mind might get dull with numeric figures, hypothesis and theories. However, it can get interesting if we have an ability to weave those information with compelling storytelling technique.

Over the years concepts like data storytelling has evolved and it leaves me at wonder how science merges with story narration.

I came across a post by Sarah Nelson where she breaks down how storytelling can be implemented in medical writing. Here it goes:

 

Once upon a time there was...
A terrible medical condition. It affected x million people around the globe and was the Xth leading cause of death.

Every day...
Patients with this disease suffer with poor quality of life and increased risk of x. Existing therapeutic approaches have improved xyz, but a significant unmet need remains to improve x for patients.

One day...
A new class of drug was investigated in clinical trials. It was different to the other drugs, and people didn't trust it. Against the odds, it demonstrated efficacy and good tolerability in x patient populations.

Because of that...
The drug was approved to treat the terrible condition x. Further benefits were revealed in post hoc analyses and phase 4 studies.

Until finally...
Data from clinical trials and real world studies support the benefits of this new medicine for patients, leading experts support its use, and it is incorporated into global guidelines.

Sharing your own experience or of your colleague is something I swear by as it is more organic. How have you been incorporating storytelling in your writing. Do share please.