Re: 'Old fashioned' Tech Writers

[Leo Hill <leochill -at- yahoo -dot- com>]

--- "T.W. Smith" <techwordsmith -at- gmail -dot- com> wrote:
snips 

> As for old-fashioned technical writing, from the
> post, it seems that
> this old-fashioned tech writing is really more about
> jumping through
> red tape and staving off lawsuits than it is about
> providing user
> assistance. No?

Not meant to seem that way.  We do document every
feature and control because the end users (operators)
are the nurses that provide patient care.  They need
to know what all the controls are and what will happen
when they push a certain button.

The staving off lawsuits is more about making sure
that the manuals cover all contingencies and provide
appropriate warnings of the consequences of mis-use of
the product.

As for red tape - any product that is regulated by the
FDA will have to deal with LOTS of red tape - it goes
with the territory.

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