AI workflows for medical writing. Structured. Source-grounded. Human-reviewed.
A free, open playbook for medical writers, med comms agencies, and pharma teams. Each workflow defines where AI contributes, where it creates risk, and what humans must verify before a deliverable is complete. Built around two principles: AI for acceleration, not authority and translation, not invention.10 Workflows
Summarisation, messaging, outlining, adaptation, compliance, and review — each with defined AI boundaries and human review steps
4 Principles
Human-in-the-loop, source grounding, risk tiers, and review accountability
20+ Prompts
Source-grounded prompt patterns for specific med comms tasks
Start Here — choose your path
Recommended workflows and reading order for medical writers, agency teams, and pharma stakeholders
AI Risk Tiers
Not all tasks carry the same consequences when AI is involved. Four tiers define the AI role, the review process, and what sign-off is required.| Tier | AI role | Review required | Examples |
|---|---|---|---|
| Low | First draft, structuring | Standard medical writing review | Paper summaries, outlines, internal briefings |
| Medium | Transformation, adaptation | Enhanced review with source cross-check | Key messages, audience adaptation, repurposing |
| High | Limited drafting support | Expert review, full verification | Promotional claims, plain language summaries, compliance checks |
| Critical | Supporting role only | Full expert review, formal sign-off | Final QC before client delivery or publication |
Full risk framework with concrete examples
What can go wrong at each tier — and what review prevents it
Workflows
Each card defines the task, what AI handles, what humans must verify, the risk tier, and which tools fit.Summarise a Source Paper
Structured summary from a published paper in minutes, not hours. Low risk.
Extract Key Messages
Evidence-supported messages from clinical data, organised by theme. Medium risk.
Build a Content Outline
Deliverable structure from key messages and source materials. Low risk.
Adapt for Different Audiences
Specialist content rewritten for GPs, nurses, payers, or patients. Medium risk.
Create a Plain Language Summary
Patient-facing summaries from clinical sources, with accuracy checks. High risk.
Verify Claims Against References
Systematic claim-to-reference checking before formal review. High risk.
Check Promotional Compliance
Pre-screening for compliance signals in promotional content. High risk.
Repurpose Across Channels
Approved content adapted from slide deck to leave piece to email. Medium risk.
Congress / Poster Summary
Structured poster extractions for rapid congress coverage. Medium risk.
Final Human Review
Structured QC gate before any AI-assisted deliverable ships. Critical.
Principles
Human-in-the-Loop
Every deliverable has a named owner. AI drafts; a qualified professional verifies and signs off.
Source Grounding
Every claim traces to a source document. Nothing enters a deliverable from AI training data.
Risk Levels
Four tiers defining AI contribution limits and review requirements.
Review and Accountability
Sign-off protocols and audit trails within existing QC workflows.
Workflow Tools
Purpose-built tools from PharmaTools.AI for the workflow steps where general-purpose LLMs fall short.PubCrawl
Literature search and evidence discovery.
RefCheckr
Claim-to-reference verification for document QC.
MedCheckr
Promotional compliance signal screening.
Patiently AI
Clinical-to-patient language translation.
LLMentor
Multi-audience adaptation from a single source.
PLS Generator
Plain language summaries from clinical data.
PosterLens
Structured extraction from scientific posters.
Who this is for
Medical Writers
AI-assisted drafting with a documented QC process you can show clients.
Med Comms Agencies
Standardised AI workflows across accounts with client-ready documentation.
Pharma Teams
A framework for evaluating and setting standards for agency AI use.
A free resource from PharmaTools.AI