ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: To provide well-written, easy-to-read, comprehensible education materials without losing sight of their medical accuracy. PARTICIPANTS AND THEIR DUTIES: Employees from all hospital departments develop first drafts. A multidisciplinary committee, patient-education program (PEP), composed of a pharmacist, dietitian, respiratory therapist, radiology technician, medical illustrator, and inpatient and outpatient nurses facilitate these handouts. Laypeople critique the readability and experts evaluate content. METHOD: Patient-education handouts are coded into one of seven divisions and tracked through the stages of writing, word processing, proofing by experts, proofing for readability, illustrating, printing, and distribution. PHARMACY PEP DESIGN: A medication template is used to standardize the format and general information that needs to be included in all medication education materials. CONCLUSIONS: Through better-written and more comprehensible educational materials, patients' families are able to understand the medical treatment being rendered, thereby easing stress and encouraging their participation in total care.
