By Mark Duman, King's Fund, 2003, PB £20.00, 140 pp. ISBN 1‐85717‐470‐4
Patient empowerment and involvement are at the heart of the UK government's plans to modernize the health service. Providing high quality patient information is seen as a key part of this initiative. It better equips patients to make informed choices and enables them to actively participate in decisions about their condition and treatment. As a result, more and more health professionals are faced with the task of producing good quality information for patients.
Producing Patient Information is the updated second edition of the POPPi guide and is a valuable tool for both the novice and health information specialist. Those starting out in the field of patient information will find this book particularly useful but others with more experience in this area will want to regularly dip into it as a reference. Members of the commercial, voluntary and public sectors should all find this a useful resource.
Duman has produced a step‐by‐step guide to developing effective communication resources. It leads the reader through the process from the reasons for providing information through to production and methods to evaluate its success.
Producing Patient Information begins by looking at the history and policy issues behind patient information in the UK. It also explains how public involvement is currently working in the health‐care system. Subsequent chapters look at the importance of planning an information strategy before you begin production as well as outlining the need to consider other issues that are often forgotten, such as legal liability and patient confidentiality.
Identifying your audience and deciding how the information will be resourced is key. Plans for timescales, budgets, dissemination and other resource implications are all crucial to ensuring the success of the end product and these issues are well covered in the guide.
As patients and carers are the recipients of health information it is of particular importance that they are involved in the development of these resources. Chapter 4 of the guide highlights some of the methods which can help to ensure patient views and needs are paramount.
Chapters 5 and 6 look at the content, presentation and medium for information. How information is presented can be just as important as the information itself and making it clear, accessible and easy to understand is essential. Paper is not the only material to consider and Duman explores the benefits of using other media. He also provides guidance on producing resources for those patients from minority groups who may have particular needs when accessing health related information.
The final chapters concentrate on how to assess the quality of your information resources and how to disseminate them effectively, as well as methods for updating them and evaluating their success.
Practical examples and case studies are used throughout the book to illustrate the successes and pitfalls experienced by others. Action point sections also provide a check list of activities and questions to guide you through each part of the process. In addition to the reference points in the text, extensive lists of useful contacts, sources of information and further reading have been included as a valuable resource.
Providing Patient Information is a good and accessible guide, especially for those new to information provision. It is designed for a UK readership, but it will provide a useful starting point for people from other countries. It particularly highlights the need to create resources that are patient centred, an important principal wherever you live.