Pages

Friday, 2 December 2016

Essentials In Writing Patient Handouts

----------------------------------------------
------------------------------------------------------------------

By Mary Gibson


For some illness, there are some physical exercises that the patients are expected to do while at home so as to promote recovery. Often these exercises are termed as physical therapy. To help guide the patients in carrying out the exercises, they are provided with Patient Handouts with the common one known as Home Exercise Program (HEP). The article below explains some of the factors to consider when writing the various types of plans used by the patients in the physical therapies.

In the plan, the exercises are explained accurately and in details. This is done to ensure that the user of the guide completely understands the activities and how they should be carried out appropriately for maximum benefit. An example is through explaining the time taken to carry out an exercise as well as the number of times it should be repeated.

Ensuring the plan is written in a clear and organized structure is also essential in writing the plan. The plan should thus contain a step by step guide to help the patients change exercise procedures as well as how to carry out an exercise. This will make it easier for the clients to fully acquire the benefits of the physical therapy.

For some people, there are some procedures written in texts that may be difficult to comprehend. The writer of the handout should thus note these procedures and include a diagram or picture to help ease understanding of the procedure. The diagrams will help supplement the information that is contained in the text thus promoting its understanding.

The text is also a necessary factor considered when writing the handout. It is important to have the text as clear and legible as possible to allow reading by any person although they may have a vision deficit problem. Ensuring that all fonts used in the handout are over the size 12 is necessary for ensuring that the text is clear and legible.

The content in the plans should also be written in an easy to understand language; that is a child can be able to read and understand clearly. This ensures that all types of patients can clearly follow the therapy. The content should also be written in an informal writing style so as to make the patients feel as if you are communicating with them directly.

As the exercises are carried out at home, it is necessary that all complex and difficult exercises should not be included in the plan. This is prohibited as most patients will be discouraged by the exercise thus increasing their chances of failing to complete the therapy. This in turn reduces their rate of recovery. The plan should thus involve simple, light to do exercises that encourage the patients to do.

The handout will include a comprehensive and detailed explanation of the therapy and its activities. However, the doctor is still expected to offer the patients a verbal account of what exactly they are to do. This improves their understanding of the plan and is also aimed at encouraging one to fully participate and try to complete the therapy. The discussed tips are vital for anyone who is planning to create a handout.




About the Author:



0 comments:

Post a Comment