How to rewrite complex medical text into plain English

Clear communication in healthcare is essential, but the meaning of clear depends heavily on audience and context. Medical writing is often produced for specialist readers, where shared knowledge and technical shorthand are assumed. When that same information is read by patients, clinicians outside a specialty, healthcare managers or legal professionals, unnecessary complexity can obscure meaning.

Plain-English editing is not about removing technical content or simplifying ideas beyond recognition. It is about making information easier to interpret for the intended reader, while preserving accuracy and nuance, and applying different strategies depending on who will be reading the text and why.

In a previous post, I explained what plain-English editing is and why it matters. In this follow-up, I focus on how it works in practice, using examples from patient information, clinical communication, public health and medico-legal writing (examples are fictional to protect client confidentiality).

Describing symptoms and conditions

Example 1: Patient information

Before:

The condition typically presents with inflammatory papules and pustules consistent with acne vulgaris.

After:

This condition usually causes inflamed spots and small pus-filled pimples, which are features of common acne.

Why this works

The edit explains technical terms rather than replacing them with vague alternatives. Accuracy is preserved, but the information is more accessible to a non-specialist reader.

Example 2: Clinical communication across specialties

Before:

The patient exhibited signs of decompensated cardiac failure, necessitating escalation of pharmacological management.

After:

The patient showed signs of worsening cardiac failure, so drug treatment was escalated.

Why this works

Both versions are clinically accurate. The edited version removes abstraction and nominalisation, making the sentence easier to process for clinicians outside cardiology or in time-pressured settings.

Treatment and intervention

Example 3: Patient leaflet

Before:

The medication will be administered intramuscularly twice daily.

After:

The medicine will be given as an injection into a muscle twice a day.

Why this works

The edit explains, rather than assumes understanding of, technical terminology. The instruction remains precise and unambiguous.

Example 4: Multidisciplinary team documentation

Before:

Following MDT discussion, consensus was reached regarding the appropriateness of surgical intervention.

After:

After discussion by the multidisciplinary team, it was agreed that surgery was appropriate.

Why this works

The revised sentence improves flow and clarity without reducing formality or altering the decision being recorded.

Procedures and investigations

Example 5: Non-clinical audience

Before:

The patient underwent a laparoscopic cholecystectomy.

After:

The patient had keyhole surgery to remove their gallbladder.

Why this works

The edited version uses a commonly understood term and explains the purpose of the procedure. This involves more words, but greater clarity.

Example 6: Imaging findings for patients

Before:

CT imaging demonstrated a focal hepatic lesion.

After:

The scan showed a small area in your liver that looked different from the surrounding tissue.

Why this works

Rather than replacing technical terms with overly reassuring language, the edit explains what the finding represents, supporting understanding without speculation.

Advice and recommendations

Example 7: Postoperative instructions

Before:

Early ambulation is recommended postoperatively to reduce the risk of venous thromboembolism.

After:

You should start walking as soon as possible after your operation to reduce the risk of blood clots.

Why this works

The advice is unchanged, but the edited version is clearer and more actionable for patients.

Example 8: Public-health guidance

Before:

Adherence to a nutritionally balanced diet is recommended to optimise glycaemic control.

After:

Eating a balanced, healthy diet can help keep blood sugar levels under control.

Why this works

The edit removes abstraction and makes the recommendation easier to interpret without weakening its intent.

Clinical correspondence and reports

Example 9: Information rewritten for a patient

Before:

There is a history of hypertension and hyperlipidaemia, requiring ongoing treatment with antihypertensive and lipid-lowering therapy.

After:

You have high blood pressure and high cholesterol, which means you will need to continue taking medicines to control them.

Why this works

The clinical meaning is preserved, but the information is presented in terms the patient is more likely to recognise.

Example 10: Medico-legal report

Before:

It is noted that the standard of care fell below that expected in the circumstances.

After:

In my opinion, the care provided fell below the expected standard in the circumstances.

Why this works

This is plain-English editing in a medico-legal context: not simplification, but clarification of attribution and responsibility.

Explaining research and trials

Example 11: Clinical trial information for patients

Before:

This is a randomised, double-blind, controlled study recruiting patients with metastatic oesophageal carcinoma and chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy.

After:

This leaflet is for people who may be interested in taking part in a clinical study. The study is for people with cancer of the oesophagus that has spread, who developed symptoms such as numbness, tingling or pain in their hands or feet after chemotherapy.

Why this works

Methodological detail is not removed, but the opening explanation prioritises relevance and comprehension for the reader.

What these examples show

Across patient-facing, clinical, public health and medico-legal contexts, plain-English editing:

• reduces unnecessary abstraction

• clarifies relationships and attribution

• improves readability without weakening claims

• preserves technical accuracy

Crucially, it does not involve removing essential terminology or oversimplifying complex material.

Final thoughts

Plain-English editing is a judgement-led process. It takes account of audience, purpose and risk, and applies different strategies depending on who will be reading the text and why.

Whether the reader is a patient, a clinician outside a specific specialty or a legal professional, the aim is the same: clear communication that preserves meaning.

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A note on terminology: The terms medical copyeditor, medical proofreader and medical editor are often confused and used interchangeably. To add to the confusion, there are yet other terms used for different niches such as plain-English editor, medico-legal copyeditor or editorial assistant (the latter is commonly used in medical communications). I personally use medical editor to describe my role, and medical editing to describe both medical copyediting and medical proofreading, as this suggests a hybrid approach as per my own clients' preferences ... plus, it's simpler! See here for more detail on the traditional differences between proofreading and copyediting.

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Plain-English editing is a specialist editorial skill. If you need an editor to turn your complex medical text into plain language, please get in touch.