Patient Education Writing Exercise

Patient education writing exercises are good practice because pharmacists must use both written and oral communication skills in taking care of their patients.

Goal:      To write a summary of a topic/issue in patient friendly language that would be suitable for publication in a brochure, a  local newspaper, or even a consumer magazine. 

Directions:

Choose an article from a scientific, technical, or pharmacy journal which relates to a health topic that would be of interest to a general group of patients. The article could relate to a specific illness, the use of a specific medication, or other types of health interventions to treat, prevent or manage a particular health problem. Next, summarize the article in patient appropriate language according to the following outline:

I. Title of presentation

Use of Sunscreens (or whatever your topic is...)

II. Introduction

Provide a brief explanation of why the public should be aware of the issue, the risks, etc.

III. Intervention

Review the options available to patients to prevent sunburn, include specific products, how they work, the benefits and expected or possible side effects.

IV. Summary

Make a summary list of the most important ideas for the public to remember about sunscreens and the use of these products. 

Note: there is no length requirement for this assignment - it will depend on the article chosen. Grades will be assigned based on the use of appropriate patient language, spelling and grammar.

This assignment is based on work by Dr. Vincent Giannetti, Ph.D. at the Duquesne University College of Pharmacy