Designing a Narrative Ecosystem: Storytelling for HCPs

At the 2026 ISMPP Annual Meeting in Washington, DC, Trish Doolin highlighted how scientific storytelling is becoming central to effective medical communications rather than an optional “nice to have.” Drawing on a session about storytelling in narratives, she emphasized that a manuscript or abstract should be treated as the starting point for a broader story rather than the end of the process.

Doolin noted that effective publications begin with a clear sense of the journey you want to take the reader on: what you want them to understand, feel, and do differently after engaging with the data. That journey is not one-size-fits-all. She pointed out that a physician, a nurse, and other HCP audiences will each approach the same evidence with different questions and responsibilities, so communicators should consciously shape different versions of the story tailored to those perspectives. This aligns with a growing body of work showing that narratives can improve comprehension and credibility when they match the audience’s context and needs.

Perhaps her most important observation was the call to think in terms of a “narrative ecosystem” rather than isolated outputs. Instead of treating each paper, abstract, or congress poster as a standalone piece, Doolin argued that teams should design a consistent scientific narrative that runs across all channels and formats. In an omnichannel environment where HCPs encounter information through journals, meetings, digital platforms, and field teams, she suggested that consistency is not only efficient but also a powerful driver of credibility. According to Doolin, that consistency—anchored in a coherent story and adapted thoughtfully for different audiences—is what turns a set of materials into a compelling, trustworthy body of evidence.