Patient handouts are one of the most convenient ways of passing messages to clients that come to a heath facility. Not only are they used for conveying information relating to the services that are offered at the facility but are also a very important educational tool. As patients wait in line for their turn to come into the consultation room, they can take a look at them and learn one or two things about their condition.
There are a number of important things you need to know as you plan to start using these tools in your facility. Perhaps the most important of them is that you must have an objective that you wish to meet; you need to know what it is that you want to pass across to your clients. Do you want to educate patients on the management of their conditions or do you want to inform them about your services. This question must be answered in the planning stage.
To successfully implement the program, it is mandatory that you understand some important characteristics about your clients. Conducting research will help you to identify the main concerns of your clients as regards the quality of service provided by your facility, their main medical problems, their average age, literacy levels and so on. You can do this by use of interviews or questionnaires.
Once the research has been completed and the results analyzed, you can go ahead with creating your design. Some of the things you need to factor into the design include the main theme, the type of paper, the writing style and the cost. Finances may turn out to be a major bottle neck and there is a need to ensure that you do your budgetary allocation carefully. Take time to compare the offers of different designers before settling on your preferred choice.
Creation of the content is what should take the bulk of your time. Very lengthy materials tend to be boring and may not be read by your clients. Very sketchy information, on the other hand, raises more questions than answers. Ensure that what the work is properly organized under topics, subtopics and there are brief explanations.
The choice of language is very important as it will determine whether your message will be determined or not. Avoid long complex sentences as these tend to lose meaning and confuse the reader. Shorter and concise sentences should be chosen instead. If you will be using some technical terms, have their explanations included.
Once you have created the material, a few copies should be tested by a sample of clients. Each client should give their comments as regards the adequacy of the handout in addressing their concerns. Feedback should be obtained and used to improve the final copy.
Patient handouts are one of the most effective communication tools available today. They are cheaper than most other options and do not require any form of physician training. Used correctly, these tools will help in the reduction of times required for consultation.
There are a number of important things you need to know as you plan to start using these tools in your facility. Perhaps the most important of them is that you must have an objective that you wish to meet; you need to know what it is that you want to pass across to your clients. Do you want to educate patients on the management of their conditions or do you want to inform them about your services. This question must be answered in the planning stage.
To successfully implement the program, it is mandatory that you understand some important characteristics about your clients. Conducting research will help you to identify the main concerns of your clients as regards the quality of service provided by your facility, their main medical problems, their average age, literacy levels and so on. You can do this by use of interviews or questionnaires.
Once the research has been completed and the results analyzed, you can go ahead with creating your design. Some of the things you need to factor into the design include the main theme, the type of paper, the writing style and the cost. Finances may turn out to be a major bottle neck and there is a need to ensure that you do your budgetary allocation carefully. Take time to compare the offers of different designers before settling on your preferred choice.
Creation of the content is what should take the bulk of your time. Very lengthy materials tend to be boring and may not be read by your clients. Very sketchy information, on the other hand, raises more questions than answers. Ensure that what the work is properly organized under topics, subtopics and there are brief explanations.
The choice of language is very important as it will determine whether your message will be determined or not. Avoid long complex sentences as these tend to lose meaning and confuse the reader. Shorter and concise sentences should be chosen instead. If you will be using some technical terms, have their explanations included.
Once you have created the material, a few copies should be tested by a sample of clients. Each client should give their comments as regards the adequacy of the handout in addressing their concerns. Feedback should be obtained and used to improve the final copy.
Patient handouts are one of the most effective communication tools available today. They are cheaper than most other options and do not require any form of physician training. Used correctly, these tools will help in the reduction of times required for consultation.








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