Communication is a vital part of any healthcare facility. It helps the clients of the facility to learn more about their condition and how best they can benefit from the services that are provided. There are many ways of passing over this information including the use of audiovisual documentaries, health talks by the healthcare providers and handouts. Patient education handouts are among the most effective method. We will look at what to consider when making patient handouts.
While these brochures are a powerful advertising tool, their main role should be education. Ensure that you dedicate at least 80% of it to educating the patient. You can use the remaining 20% to promote your facility. Patients who feel informed by the material are likely to remain loyal to the facility even in the absence of direct suggestions.
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.
Create room for illustrations to accompany the literature. Illustrations are in some cases, the best approach when explaining some concepts. The two main types that exist include the filler illustrations and the informational type. The former have educational value and are merely included to add color and to break the monotony of reading. The informational type, on the other, hand have an educational value.
For a person that feels that they are too busy or have no adequate skills and knowledge, outsourcing the process is an option. The agency that takes up this responsibility will conduct client interviews on your behalf, design the brochure and create the content required. Although the process may be quite expensive, it has the advantage of allowing you to carry on with your normal routine uninterrupted.
While these brochures are a powerful advertising tool, their main role should be education. Ensure that you dedicate at least 80% of it to educating the patient. You can use the remaining 20% to promote your facility. Patients who feel informed by the material are likely to remain loyal to the facility even in the absence of direct suggestions.
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.
Create room for illustrations to accompany the literature. Illustrations are in some cases, the best approach when explaining some concepts. The two main types that exist include the filler illustrations and the informational type. The former have educational value and are merely included to add color and to break the monotony of reading. The informational type, on the other, hand have an educational value.
For a person that feels that they are too busy or have no adequate skills and knowledge, outsourcing the process is an option. The agency that takes up this responsibility will conduct client interviews on your behalf, design the brochure and create the content required. Although the process may be quite expensive, it has the advantage of allowing you to carry on with your normal routine uninterrupted.
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