Plain Language Summary
Communicating Medical Information
to Patients and Public
Lay Summary vs. Plain Language Summary
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Plain Language Summaries of Clinical Trial Results (European regulatory framework)
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Used by PPI JAPAN for patient education and awareness activities➡️
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Referenced in the MHLW Notification on the Provision of Information Related to Clinical Trials (March 30, 2026)
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Plain Language Summaries of Scientific Publications and Conference Presentations
Available Guidance Documents
References
European Commission Directorate-General for Health and Food Safety. Good Lay Summary Practice (GLSP). [internet] 4 October 2021 [cited 2025 Aug 1]. Available from https://health.ec.europa.eu/latest-updates/good-lay-summary-practice-guidance-2021-10-04_en
PPI JAPAN Lay Summary Working Group. Guide to preparing lay summaries . [Internet] Tokyo; PPI Japan. October 2023. [Accessed February 1, 2025]. Available from https://www.ppijapan.org/lay_summary
Patient Focused Medicines Development. How-To Guide for Patient Engagement: Plain language summaries (PLS) of peer-reviewed publications and conference presentations: practical 'How-To' Guide for multi-stakeholder co-creation . [Internet] 2022 [cited 2025 Feb 1]. Available from : https://pemsuite.org/how-to-guides/