Download Use Health Education Material Effectively

Use Health Education Material Effectively
Tool 12
Use Health Education Material Effectively
Overview
Health materials are effective only when used as a part of an overall patient
education strategy. Simply handing your patient a pamphlet is not enough to
promote understanding or behavior change. Patients have various levels of
literacy and speak different languages. Your selection of well-designed
educational materials and how you use them when educating your patients will
determine how effective you are at helping them manage their health care.
Purpose
To offer strategies on how to use educational materials effectively to promote
better patient understanding.
Action
 Use educational materials.
 Use in conjunction with spoken instruction.
Educational material should be used to facilitate discussion, not
replace it. Do not assume that patients read the materials you give
them. Just handing a pamphlet to a patient has been shown ineffective
at changing behavior. Educational material should be used when a
clinician is focusing on a specific point of care that needs further
reinforcement.

Review the material with the patient.
Make note of important information by circling or highlighting it in the
material, and discuss how it relates to the patient’s care. Consider
personalizing the materials by adding the patient’s name, medications,
or specific care instructions. Make sure the patient understands the
written material and verbal instruction by asking them to restate the
main points.
 Refer to Tool 5: The Teach-Back Method.
Use Health Education Material Effectively
Tool 12

Repeat and followup.
Reinforcing information is essential for a patient to learn skills and
change behavior. Providing followup phone contact and referring to
the educational material again in future visits can improve
understanding and adherence. You may need to give the material to
the patient more than once, and you may focus on different topics at
subsequent visits.
 Refer to Tool 6: Followup with Patients.

Use video.
Incorporating a video presentation into patient education can be
effective if the practice identifies good videos and has the capacity to
show them to patients. Videos that review the causes and treatment of
a specific disease can be especially helpful for patients who are newly
diagnosed with an illness. Videos should follow similar principles to
good educational materials, including use of simple graphics and plain
language. They should review material at a moderate pace and with
clear pronunciation. Remember that video presentations are not a
substitute for reviewing and discussing the information with the
patient, but they can be helpful to introduce and/or reinforce the topics
discussed.
 Manage educational materials.
Effectively using educational materials in your practice requires that you have
a supply that is easy to find and available when needed. Consider identifying
a staff person to monitor and manage your educational materials. Some things
to consider include:
 Location: Identify a storage location that is accessible to staff.
 Organization: Keep materials arranged so you can easily find what
you need.
 Supply: Monitor inventory regularly and re-order before you run out.
 Keep materials updated: Review and identify new materials as
needed.
 Training: Confirm that at least one member of your staff knows how
to develop and evaluate educational materials.
 Refer to Tool 11: Design Easy-to-Read Material
for more
information on material design and review.
 Education: Teach your staff how to use any new materials developed
or obtained for patient use.
Use Health Education Material Effectively
Tool 12
 Print materials from the Internet.
When printing material from Web sites, look for a portable document format
(PDF) version rather than printing the Web page. A PDF file will allow the
document to print in a format that incorporates layout, font, and pictures.
 Different types of health education material.
 Brief materials: These are shorter in length and can be useful for
basic education during patient visits. We have listed a few examples
of short, easy-to-read health education materials below:
 Dusty the Asthma Goldfish and His Asthma Triggers Fun Book
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Environmental Protection Agency (English & Spanish).
Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) The
National Institute of Mental Health.
Managing Chemotherapy Side Effects National Cancer
Institute.
Using the Chemotherapy Side Effects Fact Sheets National
Cancer Institute.
Diabetes: Know the Signs Learning about Diabetes (English
& Spanish).
Prevent and Control High Blood Pressure: Mission Possible
The National High Blood Pressure Education Program
(English).
Take Steps—Prevent High Blood Pressure The National
Institutes of Health (English & Spanish).
Your Guide to Preventing and Treating Blood Clots Agency
for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ).
Help for Smokers and Other Tobacco Users AHRQ (English
and Spanish).
Comprehensive disease management materials: Some health
education materials are comprehensive in content and are designed to
be used during patient encounters addressing more detailed disease
management topics. Often these materials can be customized for
patients’ specific needs or interests. Clinicians that use the
comprehensive materials should be familiar with their layout and how
to review them with patients. They are longer than the brief materials
listed above and can be printed on-site or ordered from the Web sites.
Use Health Education Material Effectively
 Help Your Child Gain Control Over Asthma
Tool 12
Environmental
Protection Agency (English).
 Caring for Your Heart: Living Well with Heart Failure North
Carolina Program on Health Literacy (English & Spanish).
 Diabetes Literacy and Numeracy Education Toolkit
Vanderbilt University. Note: Register on the Web site to
obtain free copies.
Track Your Progress
 Assess your review of materials and their organization.
 Are you running out of materials? Are you able to find the materials
you need? Every quarter, assess your system for managing your
educational materials.
 Assess staff awareness and use of materials.
 Do your clinicians know what materials are available and how to use
them? After identifying and organizing your materials, have the
materials reviewer discuss them during a staff meeting. Review what
materials are available, where they are, and how to use any
comprehensive materials.
 Periodically check in with clinicians, and ask them if they are using the
materials and if additional materials are needed.