There are numerous channels that can be used in passing information from a healthcare facility to patients. Patient education handouts have emerged as a preferred options due to their affordability and effectiveness. The specific uses of these documents include educating patients more on their diseases and medical conditions and informing them of the services that are available in the given facility. There are a number of things healthcare providers need to know about patient handouts.
It is necessary to emphasize that the main role of these tools is to advise the patients rather than promote the institution. It is for this reason that 80% of the content is dedicated to the education of the patient while 20% is reserved for advertising. It has been shown that patients that are constantly educated about their conditions are likely to remain more loyal than those that are merely bombarded with advertisements.
The design is an important aspect of the preparation process. One of the things that you need to bear in mind as you think about the design is the message that you intend to communicate. The easiest way to do this is to start by preparing an outline and refining it later on. You should have an idea of how many paragraphs you are going to have and what is going to be contained in each.
Different formats can be used depending on the target audience as well as designer preference. The most commonly used format is that of titles and subtitles. Titles address a major topic while subtitles address smaller issues around this major topic. If one is discussing diabetes, for example, one of the topics may be treatment of the disease. The subtopics may include drugs, exercise and diet modification among others.
The message should always be appropriate for the target audience. If the group is larger and heterogeneous, there is a need to have it segmented into smaller units that have similar problems. The basis of segmentation may be the gender, the age, the level of education as well as the type of medical condition. When you do this, it becomes easier to develop materials that can address specific concerns.
Adopt a simple approach by choosing simple, concise sentences as opposed to very long ones with confusing explanation. Shorter, simple sentences have been shown to increase readability which is the main objective of preparing these materials. If a given aspect requires a detailed explanation then references to reading materials with the required details can be provided in the brochure.
The importance of illustrations cannot be overemphasized. In general, you will have two types of illustrations to choose from. They include the informational and the filler types. Informational illustrations are usually included in the material for educational purposes. An example of this type is a heart showing the heart and its associated vessels. Fillers are mainly added to add color and to break the monotony of text. They would include, for instance, a happy client, images of medical equipment and so on.
The entire exercise may be outsourced if you feel that you are not up to the task. The agency will conduct research in the facility to find out the kind of clients that you are dealing with and what their needs are. They then proceed to design what they think will meet these needs in the best way possible. This frees you and you can continue with your normal routines uninterrupted. The main downside is that it makes the whole exercise quite expensive.
It is necessary to emphasize that the main role of these tools is to advise the patients rather than promote the institution. It is for this reason that 80% of the content is dedicated to the education of the patient while 20% is reserved for advertising. It has been shown that patients that are constantly educated about their conditions are likely to remain more loyal than those that are merely bombarded with advertisements.
The design is an important aspect of the preparation process. One of the things that you need to bear in mind as you think about the design is the message that you intend to communicate. The easiest way to do this is to start by preparing an outline and refining it later on. You should have an idea of how many paragraphs you are going to have and what is going to be contained in each.
Different formats can be used depending on the target audience as well as designer preference. The most commonly used format is that of titles and subtitles. Titles address a major topic while subtitles address smaller issues around this major topic. If one is discussing diabetes, for example, one of the topics may be treatment of the disease. The subtopics may include drugs, exercise and diet modification among others.
The message should always be appropriate for the target audience. If the group is larger and heterogeneous, there is a need to have it segmented into smaller units that have similar problems. The basis of segmentation may be the gender, the age, the level of education as well as the type of medical condition. When you do this, it becomes easier to develop materials that can address specific concerns.
Adopt a simple approach by choosing simple, concise sentences as opposed to very long ones with confusing explanation. Shorter, simple sentences have been shown to increase readability which is the main objective of preparing these materials. If a given aspect requires a detailed explanation then references to reading materials with the required details can be provided in the brochure.
The importance of illustrations cannot be overemphasized. In general, you will have two types of illustrations to choose from. They include the informational and the filler types. Informational illustrations are usually included in the material for educational purposes. An example of this type is a heart showing the heart and its associated vessels. Fillers are mainly added to add color and to break the monotony of text. They would include, for instance, a happy client, images of medical equipment and so on.
The entire exercise may be outsourced if you feel that you are not up to the task. The agency will conduct research in the facility to find out the kind of clients that you are dealing with and what their needs are. They then proceed to design what they think will meet these needs in the best way possible. This frees you and you can continue with your normal routines uninterrupted. The main downside is that it makes the whole exercise quite expensive.
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