One of the pillars of healthcare provision is effective communication. There are many ways through which information can be passed to patients. Those that are commonly used include television and radio print media, health talks and the internet among others. Each of them is associated with a number of advantages and disadvantages. Patient education handouts are arguably one of the easiest tools to use for this purpose.
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.
Choose a format that will make the brochure readable. This will be achieved through proper formatting. Ensure also that only the important information is included. There should be main titles to address the main topic and subtitles to give more explanation on the main title. If you are discussing hypertension, for example, the subtitles may include the symptoms, causes and management. Another popular approach is the question and answer format.
The level of vocabulary should correspond to the level of education of the target 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.
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.
Brochures are usually used in advertising besides being educational tools. The advertisements are mainly achieved by listing down the services that are likely to be obtained in a given facility. If a certain medical condition is being discussed in the brochure, the treatments available at the facility can be included as advertisements. Ensure that the advertisements do not take up more than 20% of the brochure.
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.
Choose a format that will make the brochure readable. This will be achieved through proper formatting. Ensure also that only the important information is included. There should be main titles to address the main topic and subtitles to give more explanation on the main title. If you are discussing hypertension, for example, the subtitles may include the symptoms, causes and management. Another popular approach is the question and answer format.
The level of vocabulary should correspond to the level of education of the target 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.
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.
Brochures are usually used in advertising besides being educational tools. The advertisements are mainly achieved by listing down the services that are likely to be obtained in a given facility. If a certain medical condition is being discussed in the brochure, the treatments available at the facility can be included as advertisements. Ensure that the advertisements do not take up more than 20% of the brochure.
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.
About the Author:
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.
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