Rethinking the Way We Communicate Care

Why Patient Educational Materials Matter

When patient educational materials are developed with the end-user in mind, they empower individuals to understand, manage, and actively participate in their care. Yet, they’re often handed pages filled with technical words, long-winded paragraphs, and clinical directives and expect them to follow through. When there’s a disconnect, patients understand less, follow through less, and see poorer health outcomes.

To measure how well patients were able to read and understand health instructions and information, a study¹ revealed:

• 26% didn’t understand when their next appointment was²
• 42% didn’t understand to take medication on empty stomach³
• 86% didn’t understand ‘rights and responsibilities’ section of application⁴

Custom-designed Patient Folders can play a major role in this communication ecosystem. When tailored to each hospital department, they can consolidate crucial care instructions and education into a single, organized source. This helps reduces confusion and enhance clarity at every touchpoint.

Keep It Below an 8th-Grade Reading Level

This can’t be emphasized enough, patient educational materials should be easy to read. The American Medical Association (AMA) recommends that PEMs not exceed a 6th-grade reading level⁵, and the National Institutes of Health (NIH) suggests an 8th-grade level⁶. Despite this, a 2021 study found that only 2% of material met the 6th-grade level and only 8% met the 8th-grade level⁷.

What does that mean in practice?

It means patients are handed materials they literally can’t understand or follow. To address this, organizations must audit their current materials for readability. More importantly, rewrite materials with plain language principles. Such as:

• Using common words (e.g., “heart doctor” instead of “cardiologist”)
• Keeping sentences short and direct
• Avoiding passive voice
• Breaking down information into bite-sized sections

This isn’t about “dumbing down” information, it’s about effectively applying core principles to improve communication so it actually is comprehended and patients ultimately follow through with your care instructions.

Simplify the Language—Ditch the Jargon

Often content is created by healthcare committees or created many years prior with minimal to no updates as of today. These materials may make sense to a medical professional but fail the test of real-world readability. Complex clinical terms, abbreviations, and official instructions are common culprits behind poor patient comprehension.

• only 12% of U.S. adults have proficient health literacy⁸
• 9 out of 10 Americans struggle to understand and use everyday health information with unfamiliar or complex terms⁹
• low health literacy is estimated to cost health care $105 billion to $238 billion a year¹⁰

Make It Visually Engaging

Reading long, text-heavy documents can overwhelm even the most literate patient. Now imagine being in pain, anxious, or cognitively impaired then being handed dense pages of medical instructions with tiny print and no visual appeal. It’s no surprise that comprehension and compliance can be compromised.

While not a part of the study published in the National Library of Medicine, it was suggested the layout, font size, and use of graphics in written materials can also contribute to comprehension¹¹. Yet, too often, hospital documents are created in Microsoft Word templates that haven’t evolved in years.

Here’s how healthcare organizations can improve the design of PEMs:

• Use headings and white space to reduce visual clutter
• Employ larger, readable fonts—12pt minimum for body text, 14pt+ for headers
• Refrain from text in all caps as it’s harder to read
• Avoid long paragraphs—break information into bullet points and sections
• Incorporate universally understood icons and illustrations to explain concepts
• Use consistent color schemes to indicate categories (e.g., warnings, instructions, contacts)

Using universally recognized graphics, like B.E. F.A.S.T., helps patients engage, recognize key actions regardless of language, and absorb complex instructions more easily. Our Patient Folders are intentionally designed with these visual strategies in mind. Each folder is customized for your brand and your patients, using visually engaging graphics and simplified content below or at the 8th grade reading level to help users absorb and retain critical details. It’s not just about making it look nice. It’s about making it effective. Our included Design Services can help.

Offer Materials in the Patient’s Preferred Language

In a country as diverse as the U.S., language shouldn’t be a barrier to health literacy but too often, it still is.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, over 25 million people in the U.S. have limited English proficiency (LEP)¹⁴. These patients are at greater risk of misunderstandings, medication errors, and poor health outcomes. Often because materials are not offered in their preferred language.

Federal law under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act mandates that any healthcare organization receiving federal funding must take reasonable steps to provide meaningful access to LEP individuals¹⁵. That could be in the form of providing language assistance services such as oral or translated written documents. Yet compliance varies widely, approaches per organization differs and the outcomes could result in higher readmission rates.

While oral language assistance can be very helpful during a hospital stay, once sent home, if not provided tangible resources that can be referred to later, can have poor outcomes. Providing translated written materials helps ensure patients comprehend important medical information, resulting in improved communication, better comprehension, lowered risks of errors and compliance in care.

To effectively meet these needs:

• Translate all core materials into the most common languages in your patient population
• Use professional translation services—not Google Translate
• Ensure culturally appropriate language and tone
• Make sure the translated resources are available after discharge

The Big Impact of Better PEMs

Improving patient education materials doesn’t just help patients. It strengthens the entire healthcare system.

Partnering with Experts Can Make a Difference

Improving patient educational materials can be a challenge, especially for busy healthcare teams already stretched thin. That’s where we come in. We take a collaborative approach to every project, working closely with hospitals, healthcare systems, and individual departments to ensure the final product reflects your brand, supports your goals, and enhances the patient experience.

Our team of expert designers specializes in custom-designed Patient Folders, applying core principles of visual clarity, comprehension, and usability to every folder we create. We work with your existing patient educational materials by reformatting, simplifying, and visually optimizing them to help improve communication, comprehension and care compliance.

What Makes Our Approach Different:

• Custom-designed to meet the unique needs of hospitals, health systems and individual departments
• Created to align with your branding, patient population, and educational strategy
• Designed with visual clarity, high engagement, and usability
• Translated into other languages to meet your patient demographics
• Pre-assembled with PEMs organized by dividers
• Built to enhance your existing patient communication and education strategies
• Structured to support verbal and written instructions, improving continuity of care

Conclusion

Patient educational materials are more than just paperwork. They’re a powerful extension of your care. And when they’re clear, readable, and accessible, they improve outcomes, reduce errors, and help patients feel informed and confident in their care journey.

By simplifying language, embracing visual design, offering multiple formats, and meeting language needs, hospitals can dramatically improve patient outcomes and reduce system-wide strain.

It doesn’t require an overhaul. Just a different strategy along with a partner who listens to your needs and understands how to accomplish your goals. Start with evaluating your patient educational materials. When needed, partner with experts who can help meet your objectives.

FAQs

Why are 8th-grade reading levels important in patient materials?
Because research shows most U.S. adults don’t read at a college level._¹⁶ Simplifying materials helps ensure that the majority of patients can actually understand and follow medical instructions, improving safety and adherence.

What makes a patient education document effective?
Clear language, logical structure, visual aids, and relevance. Documents should be free of medical jargon, organized into bite-sized chunks, use consistent formatting, and be tailored to the patient’s condition and literacy level.

How can hospitals reduce the complexity of medical terms in handouts?
By using plain language, training staff in health literacy principles, and applying readability tools like Flesch-Kincaid and SMOG during the writing process. Engaging professional editors or education consultants also helps.

What are some strategies to engage non-English speaking patients?
Translate key materials using professional translating services, provide multilingual staff support, use visuals and universally understood icons, and ensure culturally appropriate communication. Patient Folders in multiple languages can help reinforce consistency across touchpoints and for all patients.

How can Patient Folders help improve healthcare communication?
They organize all relevant patient materials, such as discharge instructions, medication details, and follow-up appointments, into a single, easy-to-navigate folder. This not only improves clarity, reduces confusion, and ensures a consistent educational experience at discharge or during complex care plans, but also serves as an interactive tool throughout the hospital stay. Nurses and doctors can reference the folder during rounds, use it to explain treatment steps, medications, and highlight important details with the patient in real time. It then becomes a physical resource patients can bring to follow-up appointments, allowing physicians to review the patient’s specific medical details. Caregivers and family members can also use it as a tangible reference, enabling them to take an active role in the patient’s care journey.

Sources

Request Your Free Samples

One of our dedicated account representatives would be happy to talk to you about the added benefits of our Patient Folders and Printed Patient Materials (Inserts, Brochures, Booklets, etc.) Send us a message, give us a call at 877.434.5464 or request samples to get started.