ISMPP EU 2025

Core Values For an Integrated Age

Costello Medical recently enjoyed strong representation at the 2025 International Society for Medical Publication Professionals (ISMPP) European meeting, with our 12 attendees contributing through research poster presentations, roundtable discussions and a hackathon.

Like last year, artificial intelligence (AI) and patient engagement continued to dominate the agenda under the theme ‘Core Values for an Integrated Age’. Above all else, the 2025 meeting reinforced the rapidly evolving nature of the medical publications space, with the impact of AI already being felt and set to accelerate.

We have summarised our key takeaways and reflections from the meeting below, alongside our approach to remain at the forefront of the profession in these exciting times.

Harnessing AI in Publications

AI is already being explored widely in medical communications. Its ability to rapidly generate plain language content was a hot topic of many discussions. However, this represents just the tip of the iceberg for what AI means to the industry, with this year’s meeting delving into how AI can be used throughout the publications lifecycle, from strategic publication planning to the way audiences engage and interact with the content.

Roundtable: Leveraging AI Beyond Content Creation

We led two roundtable sessions at this year’s meeting exploring how we can apply AI to generate efficiencies in areas such as project management, information organisation and data manipulation, to free up valuable time and headspace for areas requiring more strategic input and creativity.

Top prompting tip: Start small and simply talk to ChatGPT as if it were a person, then build up to more complex prompts with experience

Graphic highlighting a takeaway point

Publication Professionals should embrace exploring how AI can redefine workflows and free up resources for strategic initiatives, while maintaining transparency and integrity

Advancing Patient Partnerships

The meeting underscored the importance and value in expanding patient partnerships. Industry leaders are working with patients as strategic partners, moving beyond tokenistic efforts.

The importance of meaningful patient representation at medical congresses and patient involvement as authors on publications is clear but challenges remain in practice, of which some potential solutions were proposed.

Research presented in several posters further supported the need for greater patient involvement and communication throughout the publications process, which extends to patients as the audience or recipient of information in plain language from their HCP.

 

Graphic highlighting a takeaway point

When involving patients, Publication Professionals should ensure that processes, language and resources are tailored to foster meaningful collaboration and ensure use of plain language, where appropriate

Other Key Themes

Diversity, Equality and Inclusion (DEI)

  • DEI was a key theme with regards to medical publications, for example in terms of sex and gender reporting.4,5 DEI efforts are crucial for a broader representation in authorship and the application of equitable research practices to improve data quality and generalisability.

Metrics

  • Metrics was also highlighted as an area of interest, in terms of the need for more transparency and consistency in available journal metrics to better understand the utilisation of publication content and impact.6,7

Our ISMPP Contributions

1 Roundtable

Leveraging AI Beyond Content Creation: Creating Efficiencies and Unlocking Possibilities

1 Hackathon

Shaping the Future of GPP Together

5 Posters

Below is a list of the 5 posters we presented at ISMPP EU, which can be viewed on our Articles & Publications page

Behind the numbers: What publishers know about your article

What do publishers really know about your article? This poster presents results from a survey of scientific, technical and medical publishers to understand the information these publishers capture and display for published articles. Our poster illustrates that publishers have access to a wide variety of article-level metrics via their publishing platforms, but there are inconsistencies in the information selected to be displayed online.

Policy reports that create impact: insights from a roundtable case study

How can publication professionals maximise the impact of policy roundtables? Our poster outlines key steps to ensure impact, including creating visually-engaging reports with clear messaging, and defining a strategic approach from the outset, including forming partnerships, setting out tangible objectives, and developing tailored communication plans. We look back at the Costello Medical/Tessa Jowell Brain Cancer Mission Reimagining Rehabilitation for Adults with Brain Tumours roundtable a year later, as a case study to demonstrate how these events can achieve meaningful policy changes.

  • Arianna Psichas, Eve Sullivan, Kerris Chappell-Smith and Debbie Nixon
  • View the Poster
Beyond agreement: How is non-consensus handled in Delphi panels?

In their pursuit of consensus, could Delphi studies be overlooking insights from areas of disagreement? Non-consensus may highlight crucial evidence gaps, ethical conflicts, and discrepancies between guidelines and real-world experience. Our poster illustrates how non-consensus is currently reported across recent Delphi studies within healthcare, highlighting the potential value of these insights in developing more robust healthcare recommendations.

  • Noa Chapman, Louisa Burton, Debbie Nixon and Seth Francis-Graham
  • View the Poster
Speaking their language: Healthcare professionals' use of plain language materials with patients

How and when are healthcare professionals utilising plain language materials with patients, and are these interactions beneficial? Our poster examines perspectives from both healthcare professionals and patients, highlighting patterns of plain language material usage that reinforce the strategic value of plain language materials in healthcare settings.

How do healthcare professionals perceive Delphi panels and use study outcomes?

Delphi panels are structured methods for achieving group consensus and informing decision-making through iterative discussions – but where do these discussions lead? Our poster illustrates how the Delphi panel approach can influence real-world surgical techniques and foster collaborative discussions among healthcare professionals, producing responsive and relevant healthcare literature to meet the evolving needs of the medical community.

We are proud to share…

Prize Winners at ISMPP EU

In collaboration with Sage Publishing, we asked healthcare professionals (HCPs) when and how they use plain language materials in their interactions with patients, and whether patients find it useful. We were recipients of the prize “Best Visual Communication” for the corresponding poster which we presented at the meeting. Explore further analyses based on HCPs’ interactions with patients in different care settings (e.g. general practice or hospital).

View Additional Analyses

Upcoming Webinar

Keep an eye out for the upcoming ISMPP U webinar on ‘Integrating Patient Perspectives in Publications Planning: The What, How and Why’, which will take place on 26th March. The session will be co-led by Emma Phillips, our Patient Centricity and Engagement Lead.

Our Capabilities at Costello Medical

  • If you are interested in hearing more about the topics covered in this report or the services we offer, please get in touch.
  • As a B Corp certified agency, we are keen to encourage others to join us in making their business practices more sustainable. Find out more here.

If you would like any further information on the summary presented above, please get in touch. Sarah Clements (Senior Publication Manager), James Evry (Publication Manager), Isabel Katz (Senior Medical Writer) and Noa Chapman (Senior Analyst) contributed to this article on behalf of Costello Medical. The views/opinions expressed are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of Costello Medical’s clients/affiliated partners.

Abbreviations. AI: artificial intelligence; DEI: diversity, equity and inclusion; GPP: Good Publication Practice; ISMPP: International Society for Medical Publication Professionals; PLS: plain language summary.

References

  1. Wooley et al. A GRIPPing story? Use of the GRIPP2 checklist for reporting patient and public involvement in research. P20, ISMPP EU 2025.
  2. Gorbenko et al. Establishing a lay review panel to ensure medical research accessibility. P24, ISMPP EU 2025.
  3. Law et al. Understanding the unmet need in patient medical information in China: A survey on preference and information-seeking behaviours. P37,   ISMPP EU 2025.
  4. Southey et al.  What about sex? A call to action for improved sex and gender reporting in industry-sponsored clinical research: Results from a literature review. P14, ISMPP EU 2025.
  5. Khetrapal et al. Practical recommendations for the wider implementation and reporting of sex-specific analyses in medical publications. P15,, ISMPP EU 2025.
  6. Clements et al. Behind the numbers: What publishers know about your article. P33, ISMPP EU 2025.
  7. Ogunnowo et al. Being seen: Using journal-reported metrics to highlight utilisation of supplementary materials in oncology journals. P32, ISMPP EU 2025.
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