Communication with clients is one of the most important responsibilities of a healthcare facility. Such handouts are useful in making the clients understand their medical conditions best as well as get information on the services that are available in the given facility. Commonly used modes of communication include the use of audiovisual documentaries, education handouts and healthcare talks. In this article we look at how to utilize patient handouts.
Prospective users of these documents need to understand that the main role of handouts is to educate rather than advertise. As a matter of fact, the general recommendation is that 80% of content should be allocated to education of patients while 20% can be used for advertisements. Research indicates that persons that are educated regularly are likely to remain loyal to a healthcare institution than those that are not.
Design of a brochure is among the first things that you need to consider as you start using these tools of communication. Think about the exact content that you wish to communicate to the clients. To come up with this, you need to create an outline and come up with the finer details as time goes on. You need to determine the number of paragraphs that you will have and what each of them will address.
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.
Always ensure that your message is appropriate to your targeted audience. If you are dealing with a large, heterogeneous group, you may need to divide them into smaller, more homogeneous group ad develop brochures for each of them. The groups may be based on characteristics such as medical conditions, age, gender, level of education and so on. You can have all your clients to fill questionnaires whose analysis will help you determine which clients fall in particular categories.
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.
Ensures that illustrations are included in the brochure wherever possible. When properly used, illustrations may communicate better than written text. There are two main categories of illustrations that one may choose from: the filler types and the informational types. As the names suggest, the filler types are designed to complement the text by adding a bit of color and breaking the reading monotony. The informational illustrations help in educating the reader.
Remember that you can outsource this entire process to an agency. The agency will do everything on your behalf including conducting client interviews, designing the brochure and creating the content. The only downside to this is the high cost that may be associated with the process. The main advantage is that it will free you up to continue with your regular routine.
Prospective users of these documents need to understand that the main role of handouts is to educate rather than advertise. As a matter of fact, the general recommendation is that 80% of content should be allocated to education of patients while 20% can be used for advertisements. Research indicates that persons that are educated regularly are likely to remain loyal to a healthcare institution than those that are not.
Design of a brochure is among the first things that you need to consider as you start using these tools of communication. Think about the exact content that you wish to communicate to the clients. To come up with this, you need to create an outline and come up with the finer details as time goes on. You need to determine the number of paragraphs that you will have and what each of them will address.
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.
Always ensure that your message is appropriate to your targeted audience. If you are dealing with a large, heterogeneous group, you may need to divide them into smaller, more homogeneous group ad develop brochures for each of them. The groups may be based on characteristics such as medical conditions, age, gender, level of education and so on. You can have all your clients to fill questionnaires whose analysis will help you determine which clients fall in particular categories.
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.
Ensures that illustrations are included in the brochure wherever possible. When properly used, illustrations may communicate better than written text. There are two main categories of illustrations that one may choose from: the filler types and the informational types. As the names suggest, the filler types are designed to complement the text by adding a bit of color and breaking the reading monotony. The informational illustrations help in educating the reader.
Remember that you can outsource this entire process to an agency. The agency will do everything on your behalf including conducting client interviews, designing the brochure and creating the content. The only downside to this is the high cost that may be associated with the process. The main advantage is that it will free you up to continue with your regular routine.
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