Patient Education Materials

🔄 Quick Recall: In the last lesson, you learned to use AI for clinical documentation — progress notes, admission assessments, and discharge summaries. Now let’s create the materials your patients take home with them.

The Patient Education Gap

Studies show patients forget 40-80% of what healthcare providers tell them within minutes of leaving. Written materials bridge this gap — but standard hospital handouts are often written at a 10th-12th grade level, well above most patients’ health literacy.

AI creates patient education that actually works: clear, simple, and tailored to each patient’s needs.

Creating Condition-Specific Handouts

Create a patient education handout about [condition/procedure].

Patient context:
- Reading level: [4th grade / 6th grade / 8th grade / 10th grade]
- Language: [English / Spanish / other]
- Key concerns: [what the patient is worried about]

Include these sections:
1. What is [condition]? (plain language, no medical jargon — or define jargon when used)
2. What to do at home (numbered action steps, one per line)
3. Medications (name, what it does in plain language, when to take, common side effects)
4. Warning signs — when to call the doctor (bullet list with clear descriptions)
5. When to go to the ER (specific symptoms that need immediate attention)
6. Follow-up (appointments, phone numbers, what to bring)

Format: Large font friendly, short sentences, bullet points over paragraphs.

✅ Quick Check: Why specify “numbered action steps, one per line” for the home care instructions?

Because patients follow numbered lists better than paragraphs. “1. Take your medication at 8am with food. 2. Change your bandage every morning. 3. Walk for 10 minutes twice a day.” is clear and actionable. The same information buried in a paragraph gets lost. Numbered steps also make it easy for patients to check off completed tasks and for caregivers to verify compliance.

Medication Education Sheets

For patients going home with new medications:

Create a patient-friendly medication guide:

Medication: [name] [dose]
Condition being treated: [why they're taking it]
Patient reading level: [grade level]

Include:
1. What this medication does (one simple sentence)
2. How to take it (exact timing, with/without food, special instructions)
3. What to expect (how soon it works, what they should notice)
4. Common side effects (what's normal and doesn't need a call)
5. Serious side effects (what requires calling the doctor immediately)
6. Things to avoid (foods, other medications, activities)
7. What to do if you miss a dose
8. Storage instructions

Use simple words. Replace medical terms with everyday language. Example: "blood thinner" instead of "anticoagulant."

Discharge Instructions

The most critical patient education moment:

Create discharge instructions for:

Procedure/condition: [what the patient was treated for]
Patient: [age range, relevant context like "lives alone" or "caregiver present"]
Reading level: [grade level]

Structure:
1. What happened (brief, simple explanation of treatment)
2. Going home care (step-by-step daily routine)
3. Activity restrictions and timeline (what to avoid and for how long)
4. Diet instructions (if applicable)
5. Medication changes (what's new, what changed, what stopped)
6. Wound/incision care (if applicable — with visual descriptions)
7. Pain management (what to take, how much, when to call)
8. Warning signs (RED FLAG section — bold and prominent)
9. Follow-up appointments (dates, locations, what to bring)
10. Contact numbers (day, night, emergency)

Make the WARNING SIGNS section impossible to miss. Use bold, caps, or a clear "CALL RIGHT AWAY IF:" header.

Adapting for Health Literacy

The same content at different levels:

12th grade (typical medical): “Monitor the surgical incision site for signs of infection including erythema, purulent drainage, dehiscence, or elevated temperature exceeding 101°F.”

6th grade (recommended): “Check your cut every day. Call your doctor if you see redness, yellow or green oozing, the cut opening up, or if you have a fever over 101°F.”

4th grade (low literacy): “Look at your cut each day. Call your doctor right away if: it gets red, if gooey stuff comes out that’s yellow or green, if the cut starts to open, or if you feel very hot (fever over 101).”

Rewrite this medical information at a [grade level] reading level:

[paste the medical content]

Rules:
1. Replace medical terms with everyday words (define any term you must keep)
2. Use short sentences (under 15 words)
3. Use active voice ("Take your pill" not "The pill should be taken")
4. Include examples when helpful
5. Test: would a [grade level] student understand this?

✅ Quick Check: Why does the 4th-grade version add “if you feel very hot” after “fever over 101”?

Because some patients at lower literacy levels may not understand what “fever” means in clinical terms or may not have a thermometer. Adding the physical sensation (“feel very hot”) provides a backup way to identify the warning sign using body awareness rather than a measurement tool. Meeting patients where they are — not where we assume they are — saves lives.

Exercise: Create Materials for Your Patients

1. Pick a condition or procedure you commonly educate patients about
2. Create a handout at the 6th-grade reading level using the prompts above
3. Have AI review it for medical accuracy (paste it back and ask “verify the clinical accuracy”)
4. Compare it to the standard handout your facility uses — which would a patient understand better?

Key Takeaways

• Average health literacy is 7th-8th grade, and stress reduces it further — aim for 6th grade or below for most patients
• Every handout needs three core elements: what to do (action steps), what to watch for (warning signs), and who to call (phone numbers)
• AI translates medical jargon into plain language at any reading level — but verify clinical accuracy before giving materials to patients
• Numbered action steps and bullet points communicate better than paragraphs for home care instructions
• For non-English patients, use AI for initial translation and always verify with a qualified interpreter
• Warning signs should be the most prominent section — impossible to miss, using bold headers and simple language

Up Next: In the next lesson, you’ll use AI for care planning and assessment — organizing your clinical thinking into comprehensive, actionable care plans.