Are there guidelines for involving subject matter experts (SMEs) and healthcare professionals in DITA-based documentation reviews?

November 10, 2023
|By Bryan Tipper

Engaging subject matter experts (SMEs) and healthcare professionals in DITA-based documentation reviews is crucial to ensure the accuracy and relevance of healthcare content. There are specific guidelines that can be followed to streamline this process and make it more efficient. Involving SMEs and healthcare professionals in the review process should be well-structured to maximize their expertise and contributions.

One effective approach is to clearly define roles and responsibilities. Assign specific sections or topics to SMEs and healthcare professionals based on their areas of expertise. This ensures that the right individuals are reviewing content related to their field, such as physicians reviewing medical content and nurses reviewing nursing procedures. DITA allows you to use attributes like <audience> to specify the intended audience for each topic, making it clear which content is relevant to which experts.

Example:

Here’s an example of how you can define roles and responsibilities using DITA:

<!-- Example of involving SMEs and healthcare professionals in DITA documentation review -->
<topic id="medication-administration">
  <title>Medication Administration Guidelines</title>
  <body>
    <section>
      <title>For Review by Nurses</title>
      <audience>Nurses</audience>
      <p>This section contains guidelines for medication administration by nurses.</p>
    </section>
    <section>
      <title>For Review by Physicians</title>
      <audience>Physicians</audience>
      <p>This section provides information on medication interactions and prescribing practices.</p>
    </section>
  </body>

In this example, the DITA content is structured to indicate which sections are meant for review by nurses and which are for review by physicians, making it clear who should be involved in the review process based on their expertise.

Additionally, it’s essential to establish a feedback mechanism. DITA allows you to embed review comments and feedback directly within the content using elements like <revremark>. This way, SMEs and healthcare professionals can leave comments and suggestions within the document, making it easy to track and address their feedback. It’s advisable to provide specific guidelines on how to use these elements for leaving comments, ensuring consistency and clarity in the feedback process.

Example:

Here’s an example of how review comments can be managed within DITA documentation:

<!-- Example of managing review comments in DITA -->
<topic id="medication-interactions">
  <title>Medication Interactions</title>
  <body>
    <p>This section discusses potential interactions between different medications.</p>
    <revremark>
      <date>2023-10-25</date>
      <author>Dr. Smith</author>
      <comment>Added information about potential side effects when medications are combined.</comment>
    </revremark>
  </body>

In this example, Dr. Smith, a physician, has left a review comment about medication interactions within the DITA content. The <revremark> element includes details about the date, author, and specific comments.

By following these guidelines and leveraging DITA’s capabilities, you can ensure that subject matter experts and healthcare professionals play a significant role in reviewing and validating healthcare content, ultimately enhancing the quality and accuracy of the documentation.