Teaching Biomedical Engineering Technology students how to tailor messages: Lessons learned from a Technical Communication in healthcare professions course

Undergraduate students struggle with how to tailor messages adequately for their intended audiences. The use and complexity of technology in healthcare continues to increase. However, little research has looked at tailoring messages in biomedical engineering technology communication contexts. In these contexts, communication about the effective use of technology is critical to patient health, and miscommunications may have dire consequences. In this project, we investigate whether healthcare engineering technology students were able to understand the concept of tailoring messages and show evidence of practical application by tailoring messages in a course designed for technical communication in healthcare professions. Students went beyond the course assignment instructions and demonstrated that they thoroughly thought about how to tailor instructions to support the information needs of a specific user. Research implications extend beyond the classroom into workplace training for healthcare and medical organizations.