Patient education brochures are an extremely helpful resource for your patients. Wondering why they’re important and how to make them? Look no further! Keep reading to learn more about how to create and custom print your patient education pamphlets.
Medical information pamphlets are useful and reassuring for your patients. Don’t let your patient leave your office with unanswered questions. If a patient has just learned that they have, or might have, a condition that they don’t much know about, pamphlets provide them with initial information that they can consult until they have a chance to learn more.
Patients want to be reassured: both reassured that you’re a professional who has ample resources about the diagnosis you’ve given them, and reassured that you are taking steps to take care of them. The simple act of handing them an information sheet demonstrates that you care and want to give them access to information.
One of your top goals is patient compliance. Giving your patient ample information increases the doctor-patient bond, making it more likely that your patient will follow your advice. This keeps your patient healthy and safe!
Table of Contents
How to design your patient education brochures
Choose a length to fit your needs.
Most medical brochures for patients consist of one or two sides of one 8.5” x 11” piece of paper. However, you can also consider creating a booklet. A single piece of paper is cheaper to print, but a booklet contains more in-depth information and answers common patient questions.
Maintain a neutral tone.
Your patient might be panicked about their diagnosis, so be informative without being overly emotional. Don’t be overly optimistic or make false promises about treatments, and try not to make patients more worried than they already are.
Make your pamphlet extremely clear.
You’re explaining complex medical conditions or procedures to people who might not have a medical background, so use easy-to-understand words. Highlight and define any keywords or phrases.
Use as little text as possible.
Only include the most important information, which helps increase your pamphlet’s clarity. When listing symptoms, do so in a bullet-point list, which is visually simple and easy to understand.
A picture is worth a thousand words, which makes a medical diagram worth a million! If diagrams or images can explain your topic, include them. They explain complex ideas clearly and concisely and help patients who don’t read or aren’t fluent in English. They are visually interesting and therefore make your pamphlet more likely to be read, and they provide accessible information about a topic that might be unfamiliar to your patients.
Use bolded, easy-to-read headings phrased as questions patients might ask.
Print these headings in color so that they’re easily distinguished from the main text of the pamphlet. Some important headings and sections include:
- What is this condition?
- What causes it?
- What are common signs and symptoms?
- How common is it?
- How is it diagnosed?
- How can I prevent it?
- What is the treatment?
- When should I call my doctor or go to the ER?
If your pamphlet is for a procedure, include sections such as:
- What are the possible outcomes for this procedure?
- How do I know if it’s right for me?
- What are the qualifications for this procedure (such as being a certain age or not having certain underlying conditions)?
Consider printing in color.
Printing images and headers in color make your page look more engaging and easier to understand. As well, printing on glossy paper also makes your pamphlet look more professional.
Hire a professional designer.
A professional designer can make your patient education brochures easy to understand. Additionally, a professionally designed and printed pamphlet will engage patients more, making them more likely to be compliant with treatment.
Make your pamphlet accessible.
Using the right medical font can make a big difference! Use an easy-to-read font such as Arial or Helvetica, which can be read by people of all ages, with all types of eyesight. Also, consider creating translated versions for any non-English languages that are commonly spoken in your area, such as Spanish, Mandarin, or Tagalog. This increases access to the information in your pamphlet and therefore increases community health.
Include your company or medical organization’s name, logo, and contact information.
Including this information on your pamphlet helps patients know that they’re getting this information from a reliable source. As well, if they have more questions, they can contact you or visit your website to learn more.
Print your pamphlets with a trusted printer!
When you’re ready to make and distribute your medical office brochures, The Print Authority is here to help! With almost 30 years in the industry, our experience with design, custom printing, printing fulfillment, and shipping means that we can help you design, print, and distribute the best pamphlets to help your patients thrive.
Whether you run one medical office or a large group of offices in different states, we can offer you the right solution for your medical printing and distribution needs. We also design outstanding web to print portals, which make ordering pamphlets for multiple offices a breeze. Contact us today!
