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.
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 designer of a brochure needs to know from the very beginning, the content that they wish to put on this tool of communication. One of the easiest ways to go about this is by coming up with a rough outline and fitting in the details later. You also need to know the number of paragraphs that will be needed. Ideally, every paragraph should be dedicated to one topic or subtopic.
The format chosen will also determine, to a large extent, the readability of your brochure. A commonly used format is that of titles and subtitles. Titles address the main topic while subtitles deal with smaller issues under this topic. In the case of diabetes, for example, the topics may include causes, signs and symptoms, diagnosis, treatment and so on. Subtitles under treatment may include, drugs, physical exercise, diet modification and so on. Question and answer format is also popular.
The message should always be tailored to the needs of the target audience. At times, the group of patients you wish to address yourself to may be so large and heterogeneous with varying needs. Segmentation becomes an important activity in such a case since it allows one to have smaller groups that share similar concerns. Segmentation is usually done based on factors such as age, gender, medical condition and social status among others.
Simplicity increases readability. Make sure that the level of vocabulary that is chosen can be understood by your audience. The sentences should ideally be short, concise and straight to the point. Too much detail may cause the readers to lose interest easily and should be avoided. If you feel compelled to discuss various aspects of medical conditions in a lot more detail then the best thing to do would be to develop separate brochures for the same.
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.
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 designer of a brochure needs to know from the very beginning, the content that they wish to put on this tool of communication. One of the easiest ways to go about this is by coming up with a rough outline and fitting in the details later. You also need to know the number of paragraphs that will be needed. Ideally, every paragraph should be dedicated to one topic or subtopic.
The format chosen will also determine, to a large extent, the readability of your brochure. A commonly used format is that of titles and subtitles. Titles address the main topic while subtitles deal with smaller issues under this topic. In the case of diabetes, for example, the topics may include causes, signs and symptoms, diagnosis, treatment and so on. Subtitles under treatment may include, drugs, physical exercise, diet modification and so on. Question and answer format is also popular.
The message should always be tailored to the needs of the target audience. At times, the group of patients you wish to address yourself to may be so large and heterogeneous with varying needs. Segmentation becomes an important activity in such a case since it allows one to have smaller groups that share similar concerns. Segmentation is usually done based on factors such as age, gender, medical condition and social status among others.
Simplicity increases readability. Make sure that the level of vocabulary that is chosen can be understood by your audience. The sentences should ideally be short, concise and straight to the point. Too much detail may cause the readers to lose interest easily and should be avoided. If you feel compelled to discuss various aspects of medical conditions in a lot more detail then the best thing to do would be to develop separate brochures for the same.
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.
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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