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Sunday, 19 October 2014

Take Charge Of Your Health With Patient Education Handouts

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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 are there for you to take home. This is why they're compact and free. They're normally in English but you can often find translated versions too. Many, for instance, are available in Spanish as well. The aim of these materials is to explain the facts around certain conditions in a way that is accessible to people who don't have a medical background and don't understand medical jargon.

Many pamphlets are related to living a healthy lifestyle and preventing illness. These days, most complaints that take people to the doctor, from gallstones to type 2 diabetes, are related to factors such as poor diet, smoking and drinking or not getting enough exercise. If you know, for instance, which foods to avoid and which to eat more of, you can reduce your risk of getting these conditions or, in some cases, even reverse the symptoms.

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.

When you get diagnosed with a serious disease, it's completely normal to be in shock and to forget everything your doctor tells you during the consultation. An educational handout will come in very handy in this case. Once you've calmed down, you can read through the material to find out why you may have gotten the disease, what to expect and what your options are for treating it.

Handouts are essential too in times when there is an outbreak of a highly contagious disease. Some of these diseases, such as ebola, are very scary and it's easy for people to panic. However, if you know more about how the disease is spread and what it does, you'll know when to seek medical help. This can help contain the outbreak.

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.

Most educational materials for patients are produced either by health councils or by pharmaceutical companies. They're normally written by experts in the field. With the cost of health care, you may be loathe to go to the doctor for every little complaint. However, if you have a collection of pamphlets and booklets to refer to, it will help you decide what to do when you do fall ill.




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