There are two issues related to patient education materials. First, getting them to patients. Second, making sure the material really meets your goal of educating and assisting the patient. If you are including patient education material on the after-visit summary and the patient is refusing the summary, the patient may allege you failed to provide them with education.

Posted in Risk Management on Tuesday, April 10, 2018

This happened recently when a patient, a former nurse, advised she was not provided written education material on the medication she was prescribed. In reviewing the EHR, it was well-documented that she had refused the after-visit summary in which additional written education material (which is routinely provided in addition to the oral education) was included. As you can imagine, her complaint to the practice manager ended there.

The second issue, relating to educating and assisting the patient for self-management of their healthcare issues, should prompt you to review the patient education information periodically. This review is to confirm the material is updated and meets your goal of appropriately educating your patient. If you are reviewing the material periodically, what should you be looking for? The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) has a free toolkit for that!

The toolkit is broken down, recognizing two formats: audiovisual material and printed material. For each format, the toolkit reviews the material from two reference points: understandability and action ability. By reviewing the material from these two perspectives, the questions address whether the material can be easily understood and does the material encourage an action from the reader.

The questions relating to understandability and action ability are quite logical. They are arranged in an “agree/disagree” format. They are designed specifically for the purpose of helping your patient to better participate in their own healthcare self-management.  

For example: a question from the understandability perspective: “The material uses common everyday language” (agree/disagree). This question is important in helping the patient understand their condition. A question from the action ability perspective: “The material clearly identifies at least one action the user can take” (agree/disagree). From a self-management perspective, you want the patient to be an active participant in their care.

The toolkit lets you score your patient education material on a scale from 0–100 percent based on whether you agree or disagree with the questions being asked. As you review and score all your patient education materials in your office, you will get a better idea of what materials are better than others and the changes you may want to consider. This is a novel idea! Even if your patient education material is preprogramed in your EHR, you should still review the materials periodically to confirm they are meeting your needs.

As a bonus, consider the fact that patient education material is not limited to health issues. Patient education material can also encompass the information you disseminate to new/existing patients regarding your practice. Many of the questions posed in the two categories can be applied to other information you have in your office. For example, you want your brochures or your website about your office to be in “common everyday language.” You also want to identify at least one way the patient can take action to reach you.

So, take a look at the toolkit and start evaluating your patient education material. And, if a patient refuses a visit summary that includes pertinent information for them, be sure to document that refusal in the patient’s records.

And, remember, as with all your material, keep a sample of the material accessible such as in a binder as a reference. Identify the date you started using the material. When the material is replaced, keep the original information as historical reference.

You can access the toolkit:

https://www.ahrq.gov/professionals/prevention-chronic-care/improve/self-mgmt/pemat/pemat1.html

https://www.ahrq.gov/professionals/prevention-chronic-care/improve/self-mgmt/pemat/pemat2.html