Covering Medical News for Print

I've worked hard to become a good medical writer by taking classes, attending medical meetings for the sole purpose of learning, and berating myself unmercifully when I've erred. But the reality is I am only as good as the people I interview. If I locate the top people in a particular field for an interview, ask good questions and receive thoughtful, patient answers, then I am well on my way to an interesting, accurate, and fair story.

An example: last spring I interviewed an infertility specialist about a particular case fraught with difficult medical, technological, and ethical problems. With everyone's agreement, I also interviewed his patient. The results of the interviews were extraordinary, particularly the doctor's. He gave me two hours and painstakingly described how he struggled with the case. He described the facts and his feelings. It made for a story that gave readers a rare, candid glimpse of a particular area of medicine and, I believe, served to advance the consumer's understanding of it.

But there are days when I have to cover a journal article on deadline and the lead author has made himself or herself unavailable to talk about the study. Or the times when my calls are ignored or the doctor isn't at his or her desk at the time we've agreed to talk.

Those days are, thankfully, rare. I couldn't have stuck to this fascinating, but difficult, beat for so long if I didn't feel admiration for the field I cover and some affinity for the people I deal with on a daily basis. Most doctors, I find, want to extend their ample knowledge to thousands of consumers eager for information. Most doctors understand that medical journalists are specialty writers but also understand that few of us have medical degrees and some patience is needed to explain sophisticated concepts thoroughly enough so that the reporter doesn't make a mistake. There are even many times when, I believe, doctors enjoy talking to the media and feel some satisfaction in this unpaid endeavor.

I'm always surprised when I encounter a doctor who won't agree to an interview for reasons that have nothing to do with time or logistics. I understand how it could be nerve-wracking or even intimidating, especially if you don't know the reporter or the topic is complicated or controversial. But my experience is that most interviews seem to work out well if enough time and patience is devoted to them by both the doctor and the reporter.

I feel doctors who don't trust the media actually don't trust their own ability to communicate effectively. But it seems to me that in this modern era, with consumer demand for health information at an all-time high, communication is an integral part of your job.

- Shari Roan
Medical Writer, Los Angeles Times