Having a patient participate in their own well-being is an important strategy in the management of diseases and medical conditions. One way of ensuring that clients take part in their own treatment is to adequately educate them about their illnesses. They need to know what it is that they are suffering from, how they got it and what role they have to play in the treatment process. The use of patient education handouts makes this possible with relative ease.
The handouts vary in design depending on a number of factors. These include, for example, the type of diseases for which they have been designed, the age and social status of target clients and the exact message to be communicated. It is important that research is carried out to better understand the context so that the design settled on eventually creates the biggest impact.
The materials that are used when communicating messages related to long term and terminal illnesses will differ from those that are used for short term illnesses. In the case of long term illnesses and endemic conditions reference is required over a long period of time. For acute illnesses, on the other hand, reference is required just for a short period of time.
Social status is important because more often than not, it has a bearing on the level of education. The idea is to reach out to as many clients as possible and for this reason you have to use language that is easy to understand. Technical terms should be avoided as much as possible and simpler alternatives offered. Just to have an idea of the level of education of your clients, you may have them fill some questionnaires.
Apart from the choice of words, ensure that the message is brief and straight to the point. In the hospital setting where the main preoccupation is for one to get well and get back to work, long, convoluted statements may go unread by the majority. The easiest way is to design your handout in manner that there will be headings, subheadings and brief explanations below each subheading.
Pictures speak more words than you can ever imagine. Use them whenever you have the chance. Not only will they communicate your intended message more precisely, but they will also make the communique more interesting for the readers. You may need to hire a medical illustrator at this point unless you have some skill of your own.
When the client reads the message just once they will most likely forget a significant part of it. Reinterpretation may also occur over a period of time. There are some strategies that can be used to overcome this challenge. For instance, the message can be incorporated into items that the client will require on a daily basis. These include bookmarks and calendars. They will read the message every time they wish to use any of these items.
These tools can also be used to the advantage of the health facility. Advertisements can be printed alongside the education material and most clients will not mind reading them as well. Some of the information that can be passed in this manner includes services that are provided within the center, contact address, other branches and so on.
The handouts vary in design depending on a number of factors. These include, for example, the type of diseases for which they have been designed, the age and social status of target clients and the exact message to be communicated. It is important that research is carried out to better understand the context so that the design settled on eventually creates the biggest impact.
The materials that are used when communicating messages related to long term and terminal illnesses will differ from those that are used for short term illnesses. In the case of long term illnesses and endemic conditions reference is required over a long period of time. For acute illnesses, on the other hand, reference is required just for a short period of time.
Social status is important because more often than not, it has a bearing on the level of education. The idea is to reach out to as many clients as possible and for this reason you have to use language that is easy to understand. Technical terms should be avoided as much as possible and simpler alternatives offered. Just to have an idea of the level of education of your clients, you may have them fill some questionnaires.
Apart from the choice of words, ensure that the message is brief and straight to the point. In the hospital setting where the main preoccupation is for one to get well and get back to work, long, convoluted statements may go unread by the majority. The easiest way is to design your handout in manner that there will be headings, subheadings and brief explanations below each subheading.
Pictures speak more words than you can ever imagine. Use them whenever you have the chance. Not only will they communicate your intended message more precisely, but they will also make the communique more interesting for the readers. You may need to hire a medical illustrator at this point unless you have some skill of your own.
When the client reads the message just once they will most likely forget a significant part of it. Reinterpretation may also occur over a period of time. There are some strategies that can be used to overcome this challenge. For instance, the message can be incorporated into items that the client will require on a daily basis. These include bookmarks and calendars. They will read the message every time they wish to use any of these items.
These tools can also be used to the advantage of the health facility. Advertisements can be printed alongside the education material and most clients will not mind reading them as well. Some of the information that can be passed in this manner includes services that are provided within the center, contact address, other branches and so on.
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