technical writing paper improvement
Technical Writing as a Pharmacist
Submitted to: Pre-Pharmacy Majors
Oregon State University Corvallis, OR, 97331
Submitted by: Xxxxxx Xxxxxx
WR 327, Section 017, Spring 2014 Pre-Pharmacy Major
Oregon State University
Corvallis, OR 97331 April 15, 2014
ABSTRACT
Xxxxxx Xxxxxx, a junior in pre-pharmacy at Oregon State University, in her report “Technical Writing As a Pharmacist” discusses how clear, correct, concise writing and
an ability to research well is essential to a pharmacist. Xxxxxx conducts an interview with C hristina Buchman, PharmD, a resident pharmacist at Oregon State University, Student Health Service Pharmacy and reports her findings from the interview. Xxxxxx
Xxxxxx provides a summary and methodology of the interview along with a discussion of her findings. She also analyzes a writing sample provided by Dr.
Buchman. Xxxxxx Xxxxxx’s purpose is to show the reader the importance of being able to write effectively as a pharmacist and make her fellow students aware of the amount of writing a pharmacist does and the importance of being able to do so very
clearly and concisely.
KEYWORDS: Technical writing, Pharmacist, Research.
INTRODUCTION
Purpose
When one thinks about a pharmacist, writing is not likely to be the first thing that comes to mind. Along with dispensing medications, pharmacists must also provide written information to patients and prescribers about medications. Their ability to write to the
appropriate audience and do so clearly and concisely is key to patients getting proper medical care. This report takes a closer look at the types of written communication
pharmacists do through the experience of C hristina Buchman, PharmD, a resident pharmacist at the Oregon State University, Student Health Service Pharmacy. Anway uses the information gathered to inform her fellow pre-pharmacy students the amount and
types of writing that a pharmacist does and the importance of being able to complete them correctly.
Technical Writing As a Pharmacist 2
Education and Professional Background
Christina Buchman, PharmD, attended the University of Montana for her undergraduate degree and also completed pharmacy school there. She graduated with her PharmD in
May of 2013. She is completing an optional residency at Oregon State University. Along with completing her residency Dr. Buchman also treats patients one day a week at Salud Medical Center in Woodburn, OR and has co-taught one of the classes for the College of
Pharmacy at Oregon State University.
METHODOLOGY
On Monday April 7, 2014 at 1:30 PM, Xxxxxx Xxxxxx sent a formal request for an
interview to Rebecca Russell, PharmD, with 15 sample interview questions. Rebecca Russell, PharmD replied and arranged a time for an interview with her resident
pharmacist on Wednesday April 9, 2014 at 2:00 PM. The interview took place at the Oregon State University, Student Health Service Pharmacy and lasted just under 20 minutes. Corinne and resident pharmacist C hristina Buchman, PharmD discussed Dr.
Buchman’s education and the writing she uses in her career as a pharmacist. A full list of questions can be found in Appendix A. The conversation was recorded as a voice note on
an iPhone to ensure no details were missed. The face-to- face interview was very helpful in understanding the interviewee; the non-verbal communication cues were essential to understanding the answers provided.
On April 9, 2014 at 4:21 PM a request for a writing sample as discussed in the interview
was sent to Christina Buchman, PharmD. Dr. Buchman provided a document she had recently written in response to a question from a physician. The Sample provided can be found in Appendix B.
RESULTS
Types of Documents As a pharmacist, Dr. Buchman states most of her writing “is answering drug information
questions from providers. ” (Buchman, personal communication, April 9,2014) The questions are providers wondering if a medication can cause a particular side effect or a
recommendation for an alternative medication when a patient with a specific condition has exhausted all of the conventional treatment options. Dr. Buchman stated the method and length of her documents vary with the provider, how in-depth the question is, and her
relationship with the provider. She stated some she can just send a quick email, whereas others she will write them up formally. (Buchman, personal communication, April 9,
2014) Dr. Buchman attends several conferences and that she was recently at American
Pharmacists Association (APHA) Conference in Orlando and for that she had to create a poster of her research project and present it there. She is hoping to eventually publish her
research as a full manuscript. Dr. Buchman stated most pharmacists eventually get some sort of publishing done. (Buchman, personal communication, April 9,2014)
Technical Writing As a Pharmacist 3
In addition to when she co-taught at Oregon State University, Dr. Buchman also teaches
Continuing Education (CE) to providers. While teaching at Oregon State University she prepared lectures, handouts and tests. In doing her CE teaching she stated she will often
use Power Point but it depends on what the facility requires. Below is a table that summarizes the writing that Dr. Buchman does and how often.
Document Type Frequency
Provider questions Weekly
Presentations Monthly/every other month
Tests/Handouts Not currently teaching at OSU When asked how much of her time is spent writing Dr. Buchman replied, “I have a unique position because I’m the resident. I’m not just a staff pharmacist. I don’t just work
out front and I end up doing a lot more of the writing assignment s than most the other pharmacist here. So, I probably spend 20% of my time just doing that at least.”
(Buchman, personal communication, April 9,2014) Audience, Technology and Writing Style
Dr. Buchman’s audience is usually other pharmacists, students, or clinicians. The programs that Dr. Buchman uses most in her writing are Microsoft Word and Power
Point. She stated she uses a formal writing style and employs the passive voice. For her particular documentation style she uses a formal template to “keep herself on track.” (Buchman, personal communication, April 9,2014) When citing her sources she follows
AMA guidelines. She stated she learned to write in pharmacy school. It was required to take specific class that taught her exactly how to do the types of writing she does.
Research and Journal Articles On using research in her writing Dr. Buchman states, “Always, everything in medicine is
evidence based. So anytime a question is asked or I need to present something I thoroughly research it.” (Buchman, personal communication, April 9,2014)
The professional Journals she reads are Journal of American pharmacy association, New England Journal of Medicine, JAMA and “whatever else strikes her interest.” (Buchman, personal communication, April 9,2014)
Advice
The advice on writing given by Dr. Buchman to students wanting to enter the pharmacy field is “ Learn to like it. You will write all the time. Even a basic community pharmacist will write all the time. Just to answer a quick question for a doctor you will end up
writing it down and looking it up, so you have to know how to find primary sources and primary literature and how to use it to write an appropriate response to another health
professional and come off intelligent. It can be the big difference in what a provider thinks of you and whether they would call you for advice about something is how you wrote something back to them. It can be as simple as chart note that a doctor then pulls
up and looks at. If you sound intelligent in your note, and you are thorough, they are more likely to trust your judgment.” (Buchman, personal communication, April 9,2014)
Technical Writing As a Pharmacist 4
WRITING SAMPLE ANALYSIS
The writing sample, found in Appendix B, is an actual response w ritten by Christina
Buchman, PharmD to a question asked by a clinician regarding a patient’s reaction to a medication. The document includes a professional header with the pertinent information. She gives a pleasant introductory sentence and then begins to summarize the information
presented to her by the clinician. Dr. Buchman then addresses the questioned medication reaction with cited research from several sources then goes on to provide a
recommendation to an alternate therapy with cited sources on dosing information and safety. She closes with a brief conclusion and then includes her references.
The sample is brief, progresses well and is easy to follow. It lacks headers separating the sections and is written more like a memo. The fact that it gives background information
on the patient/reaction would make it usable by other clinicians other than the treating physician. Buchman uses passive voice and writes out the long technical names/terms before abbreviating them. The sample is understandable by mos t anyone, but its clear the
audience is health care professionals. The purpose of the document is to give an alternative medication for treatment of a patient who had a reactio n to the standard
treatment of tuberculosis.
CONCLUSION
Pharmacists not only fill prescriptions, but they also make important contributions to
what medications are being prescribed by practitioners. They need to be able to make documents that are clear, correct and concise with good research techniques. Pharmacists communicate mostly through email but still write professionally with correct tone, voice,
punctuation and grammar. Dr. Buchman stressed the importance of learning to write well as a pharmacist to convey your intelligence and abilities to your colleagues. If you make
mistakes in your writing they are not likely to trust your judgment when it comes to recommendations on medications for patients.
Technical Writing As a Pharmacist 5
APPENDIX A
Interview Questions
Technical Writing As a Pharmacist 6
APPENDIX B Writing Sample
Interview Questions:
1. Where did you receive your education? Are you a RPh? Or a PharmD?
2. What kinds of writing are expected as a pharmacist?
3. What are types of writing/documents you produce? Emails, reports,
instructions, press releases, newsletters, grant applications, etc.? Print, web, PPT etc.? Do you do any conference presentations?
4. What are the typical lengths of documents you produce?
5. How often do you write each kind of document?
6. What percent of our time is spent writing? Do you edit others work?
7. Do you use research when you write?
8. What technology do you use when writing?
9. Who are your audiences? (Internal/external, manager/expert/technician/general reader)?
10. What formats and language do you use? Do you use a particular documentation style?
11. How are your documents distributed?
12. Do you read any professional journals? If so, which ones?
13. Do you write for any professional journals?
14. Where/How did you learn to do these kinds of writing?
15. What advice about writing would you give someone wanting to enter this profession?
Technical Writing As a Pharmacist 7
________________________________________________________________________
______
Memorandum
OREGON STATE UNIVERSITY
STUDENT HEALTH CENTER PHARMACY DRUG INFORMATION
________________________________________________________________________
______
DATE: January 22, 2014 TO: SHS clinicians FROM: Christina Buchman, Pharm D SUBJECT: Fever related to DOT for latent TB
Thank you for your question about the incidence of fever in relation to receiving isoniazid and rifapentine as once weekly directly-observed-therapy (DOT) for latent tuberculosis (TB). The patient in question reported experiencing chills and fever as well as a headache 2-3 hours after the first dose of INH and rifapentine DOT for latent TB infection on 1/10/14. He did not see a provider or call the pharmacy when he experienced these symptoms but reported them when he presented for his next dose. He was counselled to see a provider right away if it occurred again after that following dose. He received the second dose as per protocol at 4pm and began to feel very ill within just a few hours and presented to the clinic for evaluation. He reported feeling worse after the second dose than he did following the first dose. Isoniazid (INH) treatment is known to cause a fever in a pproximately 1% of people receiving the drug.1 Fevers associated with INH therapy often occur after several treatments, but may appear after the first dose.2 Fevers may or may not be associated with myalgias, rash, and hepatitis. There are several case reports of INH - induced fevers that resolve after discontinuation of the drug and reappear within 2 - 3 hours of rechallenge with INH.2,3,4 Fevers resultant from INH therapy are thought to be a type of hypersensitivity reaction and therefore the drug should be discontinued, documented as an allergy in the medical record, and not readministered to the patient.2
Technical Writing As a Pharmacist 8
Rifapentine is not known to cause fever in patients.5 Isoniazid is the back-bone of therapy for all patients diagnosed with TB and it can become difficult to treat a patient that has a hypersensitivity reaction to INH. The CDC recommendation for treating latent TB in patients with a documented INH allergy or INH-resistant TB is daily rifampin for 4 months.6 Rifampin is dosed by weight for these patients at 10mg/kg with a max dose of 600mg daily. 6 The recommendations for monitoring are similar to those of daily INH of monthly visits with provider/nurse to assess adherence and adverse effects. In conclusion, INH-induced fever is a rare side-effect classified as a hypersensitivity reaction and should result in the discontinuation of therapy. The patient should be switched to daily rifampin for the continued treatment of latent TB infection. References:
1. Isoniazid. In: DRUGDEX® System [Internet database]. Greenwood Village,
Colo: Thomson Healthcare. Updated periodically. 2. Kumar KL, Reuler JB. Drug fever. West J Med 1986;144:753-755. 3. Salomaa ER, Ruokonen EL, Tevola K, Tala E. Pulmonary infiltrates and fever
induced by isoniazid. Postgrad Med J 1990;66:647-649. 4. Dasta JF, Prior JA, Kurzrok S. Isoniazid- induce fever. Chest 1979;75(2):196-197.
5. Rifapentine. In: DRUGDEX® System [Internet database]. Greenwood Village, Colo: Thomson Healthcare. Updated periodically.
6. Latent tuberculosis infection: a guide for primary health care providers. Centers
for Disease Control and Prevention Web site. Available at: http://www.cdc.gov/tb/publications/ltbi/treatment.htm. Accessed January 22,
2014.