Patients that are more educated are likely to have better outcomes after treatment than those that are deficient in knowledge. Research shows that such patients are more adherent to the treatments that have been prescribed. Communication in healthcare can be achieved in a number of ways. These include, among others, health talks, print media, electronic media and patient handouts among others. We will briefly look at how handouts can be utilized.
You need to understand your target audience first since they will determine the content. Specific determinants include the age, gender of patients and the kind of diseases and medical conditions being treated in the facility. You may need to do some research beforehand to fully understand all these aspects. If you are faced with large and heterogeneous group, try segmenting it into smaller groups.
After identification of the target audience, the next step is to create the content of the brochure. The easiest way to do this is to start by creating an outline (or rough draft). Finer adjustments can be made later on before the creation of the final message. Choose your level of vocabulary carefully so that it can be understood by your target audience easily. The sentences should preferably be short and concise.
Choose the format to use based on the specific circumstances. One of the commonest formats used involves titles and subtitles. Titles usually introduce the reader to the main topic while subtopics expound the main topics further. For example, if a condition such as diarrhea is being discussed, subtitles may include the causes, prevention, treatment and complications. Another popular format that may be chosen is the question and answer format.
Illustrations are an important inclusion in the handouts. One of the benefits is that they help audiences to understand the topics better. An example is the use of an image of the heart to explain cardiovascular diseases. These types of illustrations are known as educational illustrations. The other type includes the filler illustrations mainly used to make the reading experience more interesting without necessarily adding any knowledge.
You need to be creative to attract wider readership. Modifying the handout into a useful item will ensure that the patients remain with it for a long time and refer to it from time to time. Having a calendar printed on one side or modifying the brochure to a bookmark are just but a few examples of ideas that can be adopted.
Advertising may be done in the brochures alongside the information. Such advertisements are likely to have a greater impact if they relate to the subject that is being discussed. For instance, if the main subject is on cancers, then advertisements should preferably focus on the management of such cancers at the facility. It is important that the advertisements do not exceed 20% of the total content.
The handouts that are utilized in patient education have become an important communication tool. These brochures have many advantages including the fact that they can be easily customized depending on client needs. Outsourcing is often done by persons that feel that they either have inadequate knowledge or time to undertake the task.
You need to understand your target audience first since they will determine the content. Specific determinants include the age, gender of patients and the kind of diseases and medical conditions being treated in the facility. You may need to do some research beforehand to fully understand all these aspects. If you are faced with large and heterogeneous group, try segmenting it into smaller groups.
After identification of the target audience, the next step is to create the content of the brochure. The easiest way to do this is to start by creating an outline (or rough draft). Finer adjustments can be made later on before the creation of the final message. Choose your level of vocabulary carefully so that it can be understood by your target audience easily. The sentences should preferably be short and concise.
Choose the format to use based on the specific circumstances. One of the commonest formats used involves titles and subtitles. Titles usually introduce the reader to the main topic while subtopics expound the main topics further. For example, if a condition such as diarrhea is being discussed, subtitles may include the causes, prevention, treatment and complications. Another popular format that may be chosen is the question and answer format.
Illustrations are an important inclusion in the handouts. One of the benefits is that they help audiences to understand the topics better. An example is the use of an image of the heart to explain cardiovascular diseases. These types of illustrations are known as educational illustrations. The other type includes the filler illustrations mainly used to make the reading experience more interesting without necessarily adding any knowledge.
You need to be creative to attract wider readership. Modifying the handout into a useful item will ensure that the patients remain with it for a long time and refer to it from time to time. Having a calendar printed on one side or modifying the brochure to a bookmark are just but a few examples of ideas that can be adopted.
Advertising may be done in the brochures alongside the information. Such advertisements are likely to have a greater impact if they relate to the subject that is being discussed. For instance, if the main subject is on cancers, then advertisements should preferably focus on the management of such cancers at the facility. It is important that the advertisements do not exceed 20% of the total content.
The handouts that are utilized in patient education have become an important communication tool. These brochures have many advantages including the fact that they can be easily customized depending on client needs. Outsourcing is often done by persons that feel that they either have inadequate knowledge or time to undertake the task.
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