Discussion Board

Kumaresan 2

MEMO

To: Laurel Phillips, English Professor

From: Murugan Kumaresan, Student M.K.

Subject: Rhetorical Analysis of “Diabetes and Your Lifestyle”

Date: 11th November 2021

The purpose of this memo is to present my analysis of the document “Diabetes and Your Lifestyle”, written by experts from John Hopkins Medicine. The analysis will be conducted using the guidelines provided by Markel’s Measures of Excellence in Technical Documents (p.8). As a result, providing us with insight on its effectiveness in educating diabetic patients and their families on how to live a healthy lifestyle with diabetes.

Summary

Overall, the article provides apt information regarding the steps a diabetic patient and their families can take to live a healthy lifestyle, as well as advice on how to tackle different aspects we encounter throughout one’s life such as employment and travel. Even though there were no visuals present within the document and was not the most visually appealing document. The language used is easy to comprehend and presented in clear and concise manner with proper organization and framework used. In conclusion, the document succeeds in meeting the measures of excellence in technical documents.

Accessibility, Professional Appearance, and Usability

When initially accessing the document, it is definitely not the most visually appealing document. But a professional appearance is maintained by using a plain white background and black fonts. Hence, providing a nice color contrast to allow easy readability. The fonts and size used in the body of each paragraph is consistent all throughout the document. The document provides clear and bolded headings with an increased font size that are easily identified and sorted through, as well as the use of bulletin points to clearly state the different ideas within a paragraph. Hence avoiding the feeling of overwhelming information. While the only graphic used was the John Hopkins Medicine logo, found in the heading. I find no need for any additional graphics other than the use of a navigational aid to quickly go to a specific topic rather than scrolling through the document. The document definitely leaves a good impression on the reader as the information is easily understandable, legible, and organized making it easy on the eyes when reading the document.

Accuracy and Honesty

The information in the document is precise and accurate. Especially being a student with prior knowledge on diabetes and its condition. I can verify that the information was clearly thought out and executed in a professional manner. While information on what diabetes is could have been helpful, the author took time to mention how the condition affects one’s lifestyle. The information provided was also straight forward, unbiased, and adhered to the ethical norms found in the healthcare field. The information was written by experts from a well-recognized and accredited organization that has spent countless years in the medical field, hence providing faith that the information is honest and credible as well.

Clarity and Conciseness

The arrangement and presentation of the material in the document are both very concise. Each paragraph is properly identified, making it simple for the audience to read the entire paragraph or seek for a specific section to concentrate on. Each paragraph and sentence provide sufficient information to comprehend how diabetes affects numerous elements of our lives and clearly describes how to address them. The document doesn’t seem to have any medical jargon and wordiness to it and the smooth transitions provide a comfort in reading the document in its entirety.

Comprehensiveness and Correctness

This page was written and formatted to present information in the most basic and correct manner possible, while also being easy to read and look at. With important information that will assist diabetic patients and their families live a healthy, worry-free existence. They explain how the disease affects people and how taking the prescribed steps can help them avoid and manage their symptoms.

There are no grammatical or spelling issues in this document, indicating that it was created by professionals, with rigorous revisions and edits, rather than by someone who didn’t care or was unfamiliar with the subject. The authors made each statement clear and exact, and they took the trouble to make the medical information understandable and thorough to someone who has no prior knowledge of the subject.

Conclusion

Therefore, I believe that this paper satisfies the high standards set forth in Markel's "Measure of Excellence in Technical Documents" (p.8). Anyone with or without the prior understanding of diabetes may readily learn how diabetes impacts one's lifestyle and the steps that can be taken to combat it effectively and efficiently. Overall, I like how each paragraph was labeled so that I could readily navigate through the content without getting lost, though a navigational aid could have been more helpful. I'm particularly pleased that the document contained no distracting elements, commercials, or promotions and gave a clear, thorough, and unbiased information to assist diabetic patients and their families in ways to improve their lifestyle. I would definitely recommend this document to diabetic members I know and would encourage everyone to read it as well, as we all know someone affected by this condition.

Works Cited

Markel, Michael H. Practical Strategies for Technical Communication. 2nd ed., Bedford/St. Martins, a Macmillan Education Imprint, 2016.

“Diabetes and Your Lifestyle” https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/diabetes/diabetes_education/patient_education_material/diabetes_and_your_lifestyle.pdf, John Hopkins Medicine.