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Karen Farrar

@karenfarrar.bsky.social
149 followers 325 following 35 posts

Health content specialist. Cardiac physiologist & physiology PhD turned word, comms & content nerd. Writing, editing, content strategy & design. Thoughts about structure, function, systems - words, web, healthcare. Melbourne/Naarm AU.

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Karen Farrar @karenfarrar.bsky.social · 25/08/2026
"In all, I received four different discharge documents which had conflicting information on them, including the original document provided by the surgeon." When info is confusing for people familiar with the health system, it's not a good sign for the broader population. #healthcommunication
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Karen Farrar @karenfarrar.bsky.social · 21/05/2026
"These are not isolated words. They are members of interconnected linguistic families." I found the same learning vocabulary in anatomy & pathology. Understanding word roots, prefixes & suffixes made it so much easier to remember how things in the body looked, connected, worked or didn't work.
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Karen Farrar @karenfarrar.bsky.social · 15/01/2026
Compounded by silos/specialist cohorts and use of acronyms. Acronyms are shorthand but often turn concepts into alphabet salad, esp in healthcare.
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Reposted by Karen Farrar
The Sensemakers Club @thesensemakersclub.bsky.social · 15/01/2026
The curse of knowledge: the more expert you become, the harder it gets to explain basics. Shifting language for different audiences isn't just simplification—it's proof you understand. Meeting people where they are separates mastery from surface fluency.
How do we explain what we're passionate about to different audiences—and what does that reveal about how well we actually understand it?Why do beginners often teach other beginners better than experts can—and what does the curse of knowledge cost us?
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Karen Farrar @karenfarrar.bsky.social · 29/03/2025
Currently bouncing b/n different admin systems for two specialists, insurance provider and hospital - for 1 procedure for 1 dependent. All using diff software, processes, billing structures & modes of correspondence.
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Karen Farrar @karenfarrar.bsky.social · 29/03/2025
So much of 'engaging in your own healthcare' as a patient is actually admin.
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Reposted by Karen Farrar
Karen Farrar @karenfarrar.bsky.social · 17/11/2024
Great article and concept. "The emphasis shift[ed] from just diagnostics and treatment prescription to education and sharing a treatment plan and navigating patients through this." So powerful.
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Reposted by Karen Farrar
Olly Benson @ollybenson.uk · 16/11/2024
Rory is totally correct on this: letters following a consultation should be written to the patient and cc'd to the GP, not the other way around. It's such a simple switch that massively changes the power dynamics and helps to put the patient back in control.
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Karen Farrar @karenfarrar.bsky.social · 06/07/2024
Tech services/platforms seem intent on delighting customers or making their experience joyful. People aren't using the platform for joy or delight. They're using it to get something done. Functional, reliable, easy would provide a better user experience & let them get back to the joy in their life.
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Karen Farrar @karenfarrar.bsky.social · 12/04/2024
Have to say I thought the pandemic would be the non-breaking hyphen's big moment. But apparently not.
Sign up button from national publication with COVID hyphen 19 split across two lines.
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Karen Farrar @karenfarrar.bsky.social · 01/03/2024
So much of this in online medical forms & patient registration processes. Create a login & profile for a hospital you hope not to need again. Tell us everything about you incl stuff unrelated to your medical details or insurance status. Upload admission forms already submitted via your doctor 🤦‍♀️
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Karen Farrar @karenfarrar.bsky.social · 01/03/2024
There are people who specialise in medical writing, med comms, health comms, technical writing, web writing, content strategy, content design, UX, knowledge management, copyediting, structural editing, info architecture... And somewhere in there is me. #writing #editing #content
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Karen Farrar @karenfarrar.bsky.social · 29/02/2024
There must be a better way for hosp nurses & patients to communicate than the 'call nurse' button. Just bad from the POV of efficiency, comms, pt-centred care etc. What else is being done in this space? What are the tech options here? Would love to know.
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