Effective communication has been shown to be an important tool in healthcare provision. It ensures that patients fully understand their conditions and why they should adhere the treatments prescribed to them. Options that can be used to pass information to patients include, among others, radio and television advertisements, print media, the internet and health talks among others. Patient education handouts are becoming the preferred option for many centers.
One of the most important things to bear in mind as you design a handout is the message that is to be communicated. This has been touted as the most challenging tasks of the entire design process. The content of a handout is determined by many different factors. These include, for example, the type of diseases treated at the facility, the average age of patients and the gender among others.
Readability is another important factor to consider. Organize the brochure in such a manner that only the important information makes it to the brochure. One of the best ways of doing this is to include titles and subtitles. While the titles address the main topic, the subtitles will give a little bit of explanation. For instance, the main title may refer to hypertensive disease while the subtitles will refer to causes, symptoms and treatment.
The level of vocabulary that you use in your brochure should be appropriate for the level of education of the audience. If you are not sure, the safest thing to do is to go for the simplest. Use short and concise sentences that are devoid of convoluted explanations. Medical jargon needs to be avoided as much as possible and if it has to be included, the terms used should have accompanying explanations.
Include illustrations in the handout if possible. They will not only help in explaining some concepts better but also serve to break the monotony associated with reading. This is likely to enhance readability of your material. The two main types of illustrations that can be used are the informational and the filler illustrations. The former, as the name suggests, have an educational value while the latter are mainly used for breaking the monotony of reading.
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.
Other than being important educational material, a handout may also be used as an advertising tool. This is done through informing the patients about the services that are provided in the facility. It is a professional requirement in many places that at least 80% of the brochure is dedicated to education and 20% used for advertisement. If the brochure is on hypertension, for example, the advertisement may relate to the forms of treatment for hypertension available.
The use of handouts in educating patients is a practice that is likely to continue well into the future. While the use of hard copies appears to be reducing, that of soft copies is increasing. More creative designs such as incorporating the brochures into calendars and bookmarks has also contributed into increased adoption.
One of the most important things to bear in mind as you design a handout is the message that is to be communicated. This has been touted as the most challenging tasks of the entire design process. The content of a handout is determined by many different factors. These include, for example, the type of diseases treated at the facility, the average age of patients and the gender among others.
Readability is another important factor to consider. Organize the brochure in such a manner that only the important information makes it to the brochure. One of the best ways of doing this is to include titles and subtitles. While the titles address the main topic, the subtitles will give a little bit of explanation. For instance, the main title may refer to hypertensive disease while the subtitles will refer to causes, symptoms and treatment.
The level of vocabulary that you use in your brochure should be appropriate for the level of education of the audience. If you are not sure, the safest thing to do is to go for the simplest. Use short and concise sentences that are devoid of convoluted explanations. Medical jargon needs to be avoided as much as possible and if it has to be included, the terms used should have accompanying explanations.
Include illustrations in the handout if possible. They will not only help in explaining some concepts better but also serve to break the monotony associated with reading. This is likely to enhance readability of your material. The two main types of illustrations that can be used are the informational and the filler illustrations. The former, as the name suggests, have an educational value while the latter are mainly used for breaking the monotony of reading.
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.
Other than being important educational material, a handout may also be used as an advertising tool. This is done through informing the patients about the services that are provided in the facility. It is a professional requirement in many places that at least 80% of the brochure is dedicated to education and 20% used for advertisement. If the brochure is on hypertension, for example, the advertisement may relate to the forms of treatment for hypertension available.
The use of handouts in educating patients is a practice that is likely to continue well into the future. While the use of hard copies appears to be reducing, that of soft copies is increasing. More creative designs such as incorporating the brochures into calendars and bookmarks has also contributed into increased adoption.
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patient education handouts are now available on our official website. To learn more about these educational materials, go directly to this page http://www.vivacare.com.