There are many ways of passing information to patients within a healthcare facilities. One of the most effective yet economical option involves the use of patient education handouts. The handouts can be customized to communicate different messages and help in promoting the facility at the same time. There are four main components that are considered when preparing these handouts. These include the content, the illustrations to be included, the design and the production.
The content is the most important. It is what you should spend the most time on. It refers to the words (and the message) that will be contained on the brochure. You should ideally start by preparing an outline or rough draft of what you intend to pass across. Determine the ideas that are to be communicated in each paragraph and what format is to be adopted. The commonest format includes questions and answers.
If you have been in practice for long coming up with the questions which are commonly asked by patients and their answers will be fairly easy. You can set up interviews with your colleagues to help you generate more ideas. They will not only suggest more questions that you should include in the handout but will also advise you on the aspects that should be emphasized.
Many of the patients that one has to handle in a hospital or clinic form a heterogeneous group. The many and varied needs make it quite difficult to develop a handout that will effectively pass the intended message. To overcome this, one needs to break down the group into smaller units. This segmentation can be done based on factors such as age, the medical condition concerned, gender and so on.
Ensure that the level of vocabulary that is used is aligned to the level of education of your clients. Use short and concise sentences that are objective. Giving explanations that are too detailed may result in loss of interest. A more focused approach is better than a more generalized one. For example, addressing the causes of hypertension or lifestyle changes that can be adopted as treatment communicates better than generalized information on hypertension.
Ensures that you include illustrations whenever possible. Illustrations have the ability to communicate more precisely than plain text. You can choose from one of two types of illustrations; informational and filler. As the name suggests informational illustrations help in passing along a message. The filler illustrations, in contrast, do not necessary have educational value. They are mainly used to break the monotony of reading and to make the presentation more appealing.
The design is the packaging process that is adopted. The type of design that is chosen will determine whether or not the material you have prepared will generate interest. The main considerations of design include color, font and readability. You may have to do some prior research to determine what would appeal to your target audience.
It is possible to outsource this process if you are too busy to design your own handouts or if you want them done professionally. Your role will be simply to state the content and how you want it presented. Unfortunately, this process costs a lot of money especially if you intend to produce several titles. Your ideas may also be misrepresented.
The content is the most important. It is what you should spend the most time on. It refers to the words (and the message) that will be contained on the brochure. You should ideally start by preparing an outline or rough draft of what you intend to pass across. Determine the ideas that are to be communicated in each paragraph and what format is to be adopted. The commonest format includes questions and answers.
If you have been in practice for long coming up with the questions which are commonly asked by patients and their answers will be fairly easy. You can set up interviews with your colleagues to help you generate more ideas. They will not only suggest more questions that you should include in the handout but will also advise you on the aspects that should be emphasized.
Many of the patients that one has to handle in a hospital or clinic form a heterogeneous group. The many and varied needs make it quite difficult to develop a handout that will effectively pass the intended message. To overcome this, one needs to break down the group into smaller units. This segmentation can be done based on factors such as age, the medical condition concerned, gender and so on.
Ensure that the level of vocabulary that is used is aligned to the level of education of your clients. Use short and concise sentences that are objective. Giving explanations that are too detailed may result in loss of interest. A more focused approach is better than a more generalized one. For example, addressing the causes of hypertension or lifestyle changes that can be adopted as treatment communicates better than generalized information on hypertension.
Ensures that you include illustrations whenever possible. Illustrations have the ability to communicate more precisely than plain text. You can choose from one of two types of illustrations; informational and filler. As the name suggests informational illustrations help in passing along a message. The filler illustrations, in contrast, do not necessary have educational value. They are mainly used to break the monotony of reading and to make the presentation more appealing.
The design is the packaging process that is adopted. The type of design that is chosen will determine whether or not the material you have prepared will generate interest. The main considerations of design include color, font and readability. You may have to do some prior research to determine what would appeal to your target audience.
It is possible to outsource this process if you are too busy to design your own handouts or if you want them done professionally. Your role will be simply to state the content and how you want it presented. Unfortunately, this process costs a lot of money especially if you intend to produce several titles. Your ideas may also be misrepresented.
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