Let’s Reduce the Patient Education Gap Together
I just finished reading an interesting article in today’s Washington Post about Dr. Eliseo J. Pérez-Stable, director of the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities at the National Institutes of Health. Dr. Pérez-Stable’s goal is “to establish a greater depth and credibility and acceptance of the science of minority health and health disparities.” He wants to learn “how people’s socioeconomic status and everyday lives affect their health.” Basically seeing how early in their lives, situations and habits affect their health throughout their life.
To someone in the Patient Education arena, this is music to my ears. We know that the educational gap greatens the lower on the socioeconomic scale a person is. The less formally educated a person is typically correlates to a lower informed patient. The key to breaking the cycle is to educate the entire community on the values of living healthier. The education may help to break the cycle of ignorance.
Halo Health works with you to create customized patient education experiences based on disease states, patient demographics, health system services, and your staff. We can put this information in waiting and exam rooms to catch patients when they are thinking about their health, in patient rooms to help patients understand how to manage their disease, on tablets and emails so patients can learn at their leisure, and in community centers and schools to help educate during down time.
We work with you to ensure the messages are geared to their audience- be it in multiple languages using plain speak. We help you speak to the patient not at or above them. Teaching people why Coca Cola is bad for them needs to be explained, but also what are some alternatives that are cost effective. Explaining how smoking affects the old and the young- and how vaping is not any better.
We want to help you create a better informed patient base- and we do it commercial free, typically for less than $5 a day. If you are working with the underserved, please contact us (856-520-8655 or info@haloheals.com). Together we can make an impact.
“This doctor breaks down language and cultural barriers to health care”, Kimbriell Kelly, Washingtonpost.com, 09-07-16