Tuesday, March 11, 2014

How Patient Education Handouts Can Relieve The Pressure On Medical Facilities

By Jaclyn Hurley


Most people in developed countries are lucky enough to have access to advanced medical services. New treatments and procedures are becoming available regularly and there are many diseases that used to be fatal but that can now be treated successfully. One of the biggest remaining problems is ignorance. Too many people still live unhealthy life styles or they do not seek medical help in time. This is where patient education handouts can play a very important role.

One of the most important aims of pamphlets dealing with health issues is to prevent disease. People need to know that their habits such as smoking or drinking have a negative effect upon their health. They also need to know what they can do to prevent disease. Information about diets, exercise and safe sex, for example, can therefore have far reaching positive effects and may inspire at least some people to live a healthier life.

Many people suffer from a variety of symptoms without realizing that they may have a disease. In this instance educational pamphlets can also play a very important role. If people are aware of which symptoms to look out for, they may seek medical help early enough for the disease to be diagnosed early. Of course, the earlier a disease is diagnosed, the easier it is to treat.

Another very important aim of information pamphlets is to help people to understand just how important it is to use their modification exactly as prescribed by the doctor. Many studies have revealed that a large percentage of people do not use their medicine as prescribed or even share their medicine with others. This may lead to secondary diseases and in some cases even death.

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.

Care should be taken to develop educational pamphlets that will appeal to the intended target group. Too much text and technical terminology is generally not a good idea. Efforts should also be made to use graphics wherever possible and each pamphlet should address a single issue. It may also be useful to point readers to sources where they can obtain additional information on the topic.

There can be no doubt that the distribution of information about health issues should be a high priority for everybody involved in the health services. Informed people are more likely to make positive life style changes. Also, more people may seek medical help in time and this can lead to a more effective health system because disease will be diagnosed earlier and this increases the chances of success.

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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