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©2022 American Medical Writers Association. All rights reserved.  
ISSN 2163-5315

AMWAJournal.org     44

“A word after a word after a word is power.” 
– Margaret Atwood

Words are powerful. They may deceptively look like simple 
little strings of letters, but they hold the tremendous power 
of influence. The words we choose—and where we place 
them—influence thoughts, emotions, and behaviors. 
 Clear words support clear thinking. And clear writing and 
clear thinking go hand in hand.
 Yet, some writers will throw words on the page, hoping that 
readers will “get the idea.” But when you use words  
that are ambiguous, inaccurate, or imprecise, you encourage 
ambiguous, inaccurate, and imprecise thinking. This careless-
ness can cause death by a thousand cuts—each word misuse 
can chip away at the clarity and credibility of the work. 
 This chipping away can involve any one of the hundreds 
of thousands of words in the English language. But as a pro-
fessional editor, I have noticed 5 words that are most com-
monly misused in medical writing: utilize, increase, level, 
while, and comprise.

UTILIZE
Many writers write utilize as a synonym for use. But these 
words have different meanings. Use generally means to put 
something into action or service, whereas utilize means to 
make use of. Although these definitions may seem similar, 
the definition of utilize can suggest the discovery of a new, 
profitable, or practical use for something. 
 As a general example, imagine—or maybe you can 
simply recall a recent memory—that you need to remove ice 
from your windshield, but you don’t have an ice scraper. You 
might utilize a kitchen spatula for the task. The spatula was 
not designed to remove the ice, but it does the trick.
 In science and medicine, you might utilize something for a 
purpose that it was not designed to fulfill, such as a Petri dish 
for storing office supplies or a belt for a medical emergency.
 To ensure your writing is clear, default to writing the  
word use, and only write utilize when the term is the more 
accurate choice. Better yet, skip the word utilize altogether, 
and stick with the more readable word use, which can always 
replace utilize.

Examples
The researcher used a Petri dish to grow bacteria.
The researcher utilized a Petri dish to store paperclips  
on their desk.
The researcher used a Petri dish to store paperclips on 
their desk.

The emergency responder used a band of rubber as a  
tourniquet.
The emergency responder utilized a belt as a tourniquet.
The emergency responder used a belt as a tourniquet.

INCREASE
Many writers use the term increase (or, conversely, decrease) 
to describe differences in data. However, they do not always 
consider nuances in the meaning of this term.
 Increase means to make or become progressively greater 
in size, amount, number, or intensity. Based on this defini-
tion, increase infers a change over time or a cause-effect  
relationship.
 But what many writers do is misuse increase to describe 
differences between groups of data. Most often, this misuse 
looks like increase paired with versus, than, compared to, or 
compared with. In these cases, the more accurate phrasing 
would be to use higher or greater.
 To ensure accuracy in your writing, only use increase 
when referring to changes over time or a cause-effect rela-
tionship. And use higher or greater to refer to differences 
between groups of data.

Examples
The prevalence of diabetes increased from 0.93% in  
1958 to 7.4% in 2015.
Epinephrine increases heart rate and cardiac output.

Urine albumin was higher in patients with kidney  
disease than in healthy patients.

The concentration of red blood cells was greater in 
patients treated with the drug versus those who took  
a placebo.

High sugar consumption for 4 weeks increased body 
weight by 1 pound each week.

Crystal R. Herron, PhD, ELS / Redwood Ink, LLC, San Rafael, CA

The 5 Most Commonly Misused Words in Medical Writing  
(According to an Editor)

CONSCIOUS WRITING

http://www.amwajournal.org


AMWAJournal.org     45The 5 Most Commonly Misused Words in Medical Writing 

The drug increased liver function in patients with  
hepatitis C.

LEVEL
Some writers use level as a synonym for the words amount, 
concentration, or content. These latter 3 words have fairly 
simple definitions. Amount means the total number or 
quantity. Concentration means the amount of a component 
in a given area or volume. And content means the amount of 
a specified material.
 But the definition of level is not as simple. In fact, level 
has several meanings, including a concentration of some-
thing, a position in a scale, a measurement or index of  
altitude, or the magnitude of a quantity related to another 
value. Level can also be used to refer to even or unvarying 
height, or to a device that helps to establish a horizontal line 
or plane. All these different meanings can create confusion 
for readers.
 To ensure that the writing is clear and easy to under-
stand, default to using amount, concentration, and content. 
Only use level when no other word will do.

Examples
The treatment increased the concentration of antibodies 
in the blood stream.

The drug reduced the amount of tumor necrosis factor.

The bone was leveled during the osteotomy.

WHILE
While is another word that can trip up writers. Many writers 
use while, although, and whereas interchangeably. But while 
is not an accurate synonym for although or whereas.
 Although means in spite of something or even though, 
and whereas means on the contrary or in view of. These 
definitions are fairly straightforward.
 The definition of while is not as straightforward because 
the word has multiple meanings. While can mean during a 
certain time, as long as, on the other hand, and at the same 
time as something. These definitions mean that while can 
sometimes be used instead of although or whereas, but not 
always. Even still, why risk confusing readers by making 
them figure out which meaning of while you intend?
 To ensure clarity, use while only when referring to time. 
Otherwise, use a term with a more precise meaning, such as 
although or whereas—or even a more readable word such as 
and or but.

Examples
The pharmacist prepared the prescription while the 
patient waited in the lobby.

Although the patient adhered to the treatment plan, their 
insomnia persisted. 

Drug A reduced blood pressure by 10%, whereas Drug B 
reduced blood pressure by 15%.

The resident performed the surgery, and the attending 
oversaw the procedure.

The drug slowed heart rate, but it did not lower blood 
pressure.

COMPRISE
Many writers misuse the word comprise in their writing. 
How? They erroneously follow comprise with the word of.
 In these cases, writers are likely confusing comprise with 
the term compose. But these terms have opposite meanings. 
Comprise means to include or be made up of (ie, A com-
prises X, Y, and Z), whereas compose means to form by put-
ting together or to constitute (ie, X, Y, and Z compose A). To 
give compose a similar meaning to comprise, the word must 
be sandwiched between a weak “to be” verb (eg, is, are, was, 
were) and the word of (eg, was composed of).
 Alternatively, writers may use comprise as a synonym for 
consists. Unlike with compose, comprise and consists have 
similar meanings. Comprise means to include or be made 
up of, and consists means to be composed or made up of. 
But, grammatically, only the word consists should be fol-
lowed by the word of.
 To ensure clarity and accuracy, use comprise without 
of, or use consists instead. And if you are tempted to use the 
sandwiched form of compose, stick with either comprise or 
consists to reduce the word count and give your sentence a 
little readability boost.

Examples
The complex is composed of 3 proteins.
The solution consists of 4 chemicals. 
The team comprises a physician, nurse practitioner,  
and resident.

KEEPING UP WITH CHANGE
Language constantly evolves, so the meanings of these words 
and how they are used may change in the future. The key is to 
stay updated on these changes so that you can use the most 
explicit, accurate, and precise words in your writing. In this 
way, you can harness the full power of words to craft clear 
writing that supports clear thinking and credible work.

Author declaration and disclosures: The author notes no  
commercial associations that may pose a conflict of interest in 
relation to this article.

Author contact: crystal.herron@redwoodink.com

http://www.amwajournal.org



