Writing Style Guide

This Writing Style Guide is a resource for anyone generates content for meditech.com or the Intranet. It establishes crucial standards for both general writing and product-based writing, as well as protocols for posting screen shots. Take the time to familiarize yourself with it, and put it to work for you!

It’s important to that this guide encompasses MEDITECH’s company-specific standards, and is not meant to serve as a comprehensive guide to web and product-based writing. Table of Contents

General Writing Standards 3 4 Hyphenated? One or Two? 4 5 General 6 Product-Based Writing Standards 7 General Dos and Don’ts 8 Reference Links 9

2 General Writing Standards

It’s important that our writing reflects MEDITECH’s cohesive image. While every writer has the potential to develop their own style and tone, certain elements of writing should never vary here at MEDITECH. These general writing standards are divided into sections and covered in the succeeding pages.

Please note that the following standards are company-specific, and are not meant to be comprehensive. For more information on general grammar standards, please consult the AP Style Guide.

3 General Writing Standards CAPITALIZATION are always capitalized. Discussion” LIVE - Always all-capitalized online - One word, no General rule - Do not unnecessarily capitalize MAGIC - Always all-capitalized on site: • When referring to the official names of MEDITECH - Always all-capitalized • Noun: two separate (on site) , routines, menus, screens, and reports, non-medications - Lowercase n and m • : hyphenate the word (on-site) use the exact spelling and capitalization as used in prepositions (titles) - In titles, prepositions should be screen captures or screen shots - Two words our software capitalized sign-on vs. sign on • If referring to a generic concept, such as ordering • Ex. “Hospital Earns High Score In Regional Survey” • One word, hyphenated when referring to single or nursing routines, keep these lowercase pronouns (titles) - In titles, pronouns should be sign-on • Please use lowercase for customer-defined capitalized • The verb form (“Sign on to your computer.”) is two screens. • Ex. “Meet the Physician Who Is Driving CPOE words, not hyphenated Adoption” smartphone - One word acute - only capitalize if it’s the actual name of a product superuser - One word ambulatory - only capitalize if it’s the actual name of a time frame - two words product web-based - One word, hyphenated, not capitalized Client/Server - With a capital C and capital S; forward HYPHENATED? ONE WORD OR website/webpage - One word; not capitalized TWO? Critical Access Hospital - Capital C, A, and H. As an abbreviation, it would be CAH. barcode - One word Departments, such as Admissions department - cybersecurity - One word always capitalized - One word, no hyphen; lowercase Dev ID - two words, capital D for Dev and ID should be e-Prescribing - With a capital P; not e-prescribing in follow-up (as a noun) follow up (as a verb) eChart - “e” is lowercase, C is capital, no hyphen Go-LIVE vs. go LIVE - It depends whether it’s being e-Learning - Lowercase e, hyphen, capital L used as a noun or verb: e-Sign - Lowercase e, hyphen, capital S • Verb: a lower-case g and unhyphenated (“Let’s go • If used in a title, it would be E-Sign LIVE”) PDoc - Capital P and D • Noun: an upper-case G with a hyphen (“The Go- job titles - Not capitalized, unless they are being used LIVE went smoothly”) before the name healthcare - One word; lower-case when used • Ex. Vice President John Doe vs. John Doe, the vice generally president hyphenated words in titles - in a title, capitalize the • Job title mnemonics (such as CIO, CEO, COO, etc.) second word in a hyphenated phrase • Ex. “Non-Formulary Medications Are Topic of

4 General Writing Standards PUNCTUATION credentials with numeric suffix - Place the between the suffix and the credential 6.0, 6.1, 6.x platform - 6.0 and 6.1 refer to specific • Ex. William Sewell III, MD releases, while 6.x may be used to reference the - Use the ( — ) and not a double platform in general dash ( -- ) points • Hold down the Alt key, and press 0151 on your • Above all, be consistent in structure; make all numeric keyboard bullets sentences, or fragments, or questions. • Make sure there are spaces on both sides of the em • Make punctuation consistent as well; if one bullet dash is a complete sentence, then end that bullet and no periods - The following words do not take periods: all other bullets with periods. However, if the • IT, IS, USA, US, UK content are phrases or individual words, you only put a period at the end of the last bullet. punctuation and quotes - Place periods and within quotation marks • Avoid lengthy, -like bullets. Individual bullets should include no more than two lines; • Correct: “This is always the case,” she said. three is the maximum length. • Incorrect: “This is always the case”, she said. • The first word in the bullet should be capitalized. quotation marks - Only responses to fields/parameters • Use parallel structure - decide if your bullets need to be placed in quotation marks, not field names, should start with a verb or noun, and keep them names, etc. For example: In order to have all consistent. the order auto-populate, define “Y” in Auto-Populate parameter. • Number bullets only when defining a sequence. e.g., i.e. • Avoid using transitional phrases, such as “Second of all” or “Another is” — they slow down • Use periods after each letter, followed with a readers. comma, and enclose all in parentheses (e.g., blue, green, purple) comma usage - Use the Oxford (serial) comma for lists containing three or more items ďď Use e.g. to represent “for example” • Correct: For breakfast I had tea, toast, and jam ďď Use i.e. to represent “in other words.” • Incorrect: For breakfast I had tea, toast and jam credentials - Do not use periods in credentials • Ex. MD, MPP

5 General Writing Standards GENERAL paragraph spacing - Make sure that the spacing is 0 pt before and after Best Practice(s) - “Best Practices” is the singular form. phone numbers - Use dashes instead of dots in phone “Best Practice” may be used as an adjective. numbers (781-774-3000, not 781.774.3000) • Ex. “Our hospital adhered to Best Practices to platforms vs. releases - These words are not reach Stage 7” vs. “Our hospital referred to Best interchangeable Practice documentation for Stage 7” • MAGIC, Client/Server, and 6.x are platforms care provider - not caregiver. Two separate words. • 6.1, 5.66 are releases dates - Use the AP Style version: ​referring to healthcare professionals - Use their exact • Abbreviate August through February if you’re title (e.g., doctor, nurse, pharmacist, pharmacy technician, following with a numbered date (ex. Feb. 17). Do etc.), except in the case of regulatory documentation. In not abbreviate March through July. this case, refer to the individual by whatever grouping • Do not use “st,” “th,” “nd,” etc. they are a part of — for example, a physician and NP • If you are referring to an entire month rather than would both be referred to as clinicians.​ a specific date, always spell out the month regional - There is no need to appeal to other regions’ • Decades (such as 1970s, 1980s, etc.) do not spelling variations contain • Ex. If you are writing an article about a Canadian hyperlinking - See Standards for how Best Practices site, do not write “centre” instead of “center,” handles hyperlinking unless it’s part of a title (Ex. “Toronto Healthcare module vs. application - refrain from using the term Centre”) module, and use the term application instead role-based vs. roles-based - If referring to one role, use the actual name (e.g., Physician Status Board). If mnemonics - Spell them out at all times if possible, or referring to multiple roles, use “roles-based.” at least, on the first mention spacing - One between sentences, never two • Ex. Today we discussed Operating Room Management (ORM). The ORM product garnered time - Separate hours from minutes with a lots of praise. • If the time is on the hour, just write the hour (i.e., 9 numbers - Spell out numbers one through nine a.m., not 9:00 a.m.) • Ex. My daughter is six years old. There are 52 cards • Use lowercase for a.m. and p.m. in a deck. Zoom vs. webinar - The vendor MEDITECH uses is numbering - See Standards for how Best called Zoom, but the sessions themselves should be Practices handles numbering referred to as a “webinar” or “online seminar.”

6 Product-Based Writing Standards

Mastery of MEDITECH’s product-based writing standards is critical. A thorough understanding of these standards ensures the protection of patient information and the adherence to HIPAA laws. Since most product-based writing is meant to instruct end users of our systems, it is important that the writing is succinct and direct. Avoid writing in the passive voice; be specific, and keep your audience in mind. Clarity is of the utmost importance in product-based writing.

7 Product-Based Writing Standards GENERAL DOS AND DON’TS Or... Edit the menu to include meals under different • Make sure you include a thesis statement in your first diagnoses. paragraph. (Why would customers want to know • Omit extraneous words and phrases for more about this feature? How does it make using the concise sentences. system easier/better/more efficient? This is most likely Wordy your thesis statement.) It is also important to confirm the floor that is being • Ask yourself who your audience is. Your article should used on each line of the dietary sheet. be tailored to a particular reader or readers—whether Concise Confirm the floor code on each line of the dietary it is a clinician, administrator, or another role entirely. sheet. • Don’t write in the third person* (e.g., the end user can • Don’t be vague. click on the “Submit” button). Address the reader as “you.” Vague *When creating an e-Learning script or an integrated Did you know we’ve enhanced the Dietary Dictionary document, writing in the third person can be to provide more flexibility? appropriate when describing workflow (e.g., the Clearer nurse documents the medication administration on Did you know we’ve enhanced the Dietary Dictionary the MAR, which is then available for the provider on to provide more flexibility for ordering vegan meals? the patient’s chart). • Make sure the screen caps appropriately reflect • Don’t switch back and forth between two audiences your text. For example, if you’re describing a lookup in your article. Write a section for each audience, that lists vegetarian, vegan, and kosher, make sure and be sure to indicate who the audience is in the those reasons are listed on the screen cap. subheading (e.g., “Setup Instructions for I.S. Staff”) or • Add subheadings to longer articles for easier the opening sentence (e.g., “As a dietitian, you....”). reading. • Don’t use the passive tense. Make the content as • Put the article aside for a day or two, then reread it. active and direct as possible. Look for passive warning Can you clarify sentences/ even more? signs such as “to be,” “of the,” “by the,” etc. • Ask someone else to review your article, before you Passive publish. A second set of eyes will help to catch any There is also the ability for the menu to be edited to errors you may have missed. include meals under different diagnoses. • Please consult our Screen Capture Style Guide for Active standards on incorporating screen captures into You can edit the menu to include meals under different customer-facing documents diagnoses.

8 Product-Based Writing Standards REFERENCE LINKS

While we’ve covered the essential standards for MEDITECH’s product-based writing in the previous section, there’s plenty more information on product- based writing available. We’ve gathered some alternative resources that address specific issues and listed them below:

• Client Services Communication Resources: https://staff.meditech.com/en/d/clientservices/ pages/communication.htm • ARRA Best Practice Writing Standards: https://staff.meditech.com/en/d/arra/pages/ bestpracticesstandards.htm • Screen Capture Style Guide: https://staff.meditech.com/en/d/marcomm/ otherfiles/screencapturestyleguide.pdf • HCIS info and etiquette guidelines: HCIS Ring Info and Etiquette Guidelines • Unsure of How to Spell Out a Particular Mnemonic Or Vice Versa? https://staff.meditech.com/en/d/clientserv/ pages/copyapplicationmnemonicslist.htm

9 Thank you!

Contact Tracy Gavel with any Style Guide questions.

Document Status: Approved Version #: 12 Effective Date:February 8, 2018 Approved By: Tracy Gavel Approved Date: February 8, 2018