Wednesday, October 15, 2014

Take Control Of Your Health With Patient Education Handouts

By Patty Goff


You've probably seen them in your doctor's waiting room or at the clinic. Most people only read those pamphlets about diseases when the only magazine left is a car magazine from 1983. However, patient education handouts are there to help you take charge of your own and your family's health.

The handouts usually come in pamphlet or brochure form. They're easy to fit in your bag and are normally free as well, so there's no excuse not to take some. The idea with them is to explain medical conditions in language that ordinary people can understand and to answer those questions you may have forgotten to ask your doctor. Depending on where you live, you may be able to find versions in other languages, such as Spanish, as well to make things easier for people who don't speak English as a first language.

One of the best ways to deal with a medical condition is to not get it in the first place. Many ailments are the direct result of a poor lifestyle and are actually completely preventable. With certain lifestyle changes they can even be cured. This is why many educational materials deal with the basics of exercise and a healthy diet to prevent conditions such as obesity, high blood pressure and diabetes.

Vaccines are very important in preventing disease as well. They protect against certain serious diseases and help prevent these from spreading through a community. It's thanks to vaccines that most countries have managed to eradicate smallpox and even polio. However, in recent ears there has been a lot of misinformation about vaccines and some people now even refuse to have their children vaccinated. Informative brochures give you the facts, help to allay your fears and even give you a schedule for vaccination.

If you've already been diagnosed with a specific disease, you may find a booklet about it very helpful. It will answer those questions you forgot to ask your doctor about when you were first dealing with the diagnosis. Usually it uses simple language and diagrams to explain what the condition is, what may have caused it, what the symptoms are and your options for treatment.

Sometimes there is an outbreak of a serious disease, for example bird flu or ebola. When this happens, there is a lot of misinformation about the disease and people often panic. However, spreading the correct information can allay fears, help people understand which symptoms to look out for and what they should do if they contract the disease. In this way, the outbreak can be tamed.

One of the most wonderful things about pamphlets for patients is that they can answer those questions you're too embarrassed to ask your doctor. For example, they may be about rashes in private areas or about blood in your bodily excretions. These symptoms are actually quite common even though nobody wants to talk about them.

The pamphlets are normally written by medical writers in conjunction with medical professionals. They may be produced by pharmaceutical companies or by health councils. It's a good idea to build up a collection that you can refer to when necessary. You may then even be able to save that expensive trip to the doctor.




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