Going From Text to Graphic

Most patient information is text-based. Many institutions have contracted to add patient handouts to their electronic record systems. This strategy does allow us to document that every service that sees a child has printed out their obesity management handout, but those gray pages are so boring. While they may be written at a sixth-grade level according to literacy tools, that may be higher than some families read.

I am going to take you through the steps I am using to update some of my older patient handouts. I have never looked at these as something to just hand them, but as more of a memory tool. If your child has just been diagnosed with a kidney problem, you may not remember more than the name of the condition. It's helpful to have some written information, if nothing else so the parent can Google the correct disease!

With my infographic tools, I take this further. I have a copy for everyone including me. I point to stuff on the handout, explaining it further as I go. For example, on my nephrotic syndrome handout, I talk about losing albumin, antibodies, and anticoagulants in the urine. Some have criticized the use of medical terminology in that graphic. While I have to admit I love the alliteration of those terms, parents also then need to learn about those words. We will be discussing albumin levels frequently, we will talk about infection risks from antibody loss, and they need to know about potential blood clots.

I am posting a screen image of another handout about Henoch Schonlein Purpura, a pediatric disorder that often has kidney involvement. As you can see, the document is less than a full page. It reads at a sixth-grade level. It's all type, though.

First I review it to discover what parts might benefit from an illustration. What are the most important things I can illustrate for patients and parents?

My next post will deal with creating that graphic.