Friday, 21 March 2014

How Patient Education Handouts Can Relieve The Pressure On Medical Facilities

By Jaclyn Hurley


Progress in the medical field is made so fast that hardly a day goes by without some new treatment, medicine or procedure being discovered. People generally live longer and doctors can now treat illnesses that used to be a virtual death sentence. However, too many people still become ill simply because they do not take basic precautions and many ill people do not follow the advice of their doctors. That is why patient education handouts are so important.

One of the main objectives of educational pamphlets is to prevent disease. They can inform the public about the causes of various diseases and the factors that will have a negative influence on their health. General information about matters such as safe sex, the dangers of tobacco and related topics can also help to persuade people to make positive changes in their lives.

Many people are obstinate, ignoring symptoms until they experience such levels of discomfort that a visit to the doctor becomes inevitable. In many cases those symptoms were the signs of serious disease that could have been detected and treated if only the sufferer asked for help at an earlier stage. Pamphlets can do much to inform people about the symptoms typical to common diseases and this may lead to earlier diagnoses.

Another way in which educational leaflets can be extremely valuable is in educating people about the importance of using medication correctly. Most medical practitioners will testify that a large percentage of their patients simply do not follow instructions, such as eating before taking medicine or taking medication at specific times. In this way they may be endangering their health and rendering the treatment less effective. Pamphlets can go a long way in detailing the dire consequences of abusing medication.

In most cases it is best to disseminate information regarding health issues in a printed format. This is because many people do not have access to sophisticated information systems such as the internet. It is easy and cost effective to distribute printed leaflets and distribution can also be controlled. Most people are also more likely to keep a pamphlet, especially if it contains relevant and important information.

Information pamphlets should be designed with great care. The content should be aimed at well defined target groups and it is vital to avoid technical terminology and complicated wording. In most cases the pamphlet will be more effective if simple graphics are used to illustrate all the main points. Where possible, readers should be told where they can go to obtain more information about the topic in hand.

There can be no doubt that efforts at education the general public about health issues can lead to tangible rewards. Informed people can make informed decisions and although not everybody will heed the warnings and advice given to them, those few that actually take heed may change their life styles and even influence others to do likewise.

Information on health issues should not be available at medical facilities only. In most cases, the intended target group will not be reached in this manner. Rather, efforts should be made to make such information available at places where the intended target group is likely to go, such as shopping centers, government offices, pharmacies and even at pubs and clubs.




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