Online Patient Education Resources for your Facility

by Tim Gieseke MD, CMD 

I am the Medical Director of a CCRC that has a superb wellness program as well as community outreach.  We are sponsoring a Health Fair in the near future that is open to our residents, staff, and the outer community.  As a part of that fair, I was tasked with creating a handout on the subject of patient education for our “The Doctor is In” booth.

I am a strong proponent of patient health education driven by interests and learning style that focuses on improving health and minimizing potential future harms.  In a brief survey of available and reliable online resources, I was astounded by the availability of an amazing amount of high-quality resources well organized and designed for patients.  The one-page handout I developed will be posted on the CCRC resident website for their use, as well as a handout for the outer community and staff at the Health Fair.

In the busy world of post-acute medicine, I haven’t seen much focus on patient or family education.  From my previous work with persons with diabetes, I have found their outcomes are much better when they are properly educated.  I believe that the proactive facility should consider a patient education QAPI project with resources like the attached handout available for patients, families, and staff.  In the era of bundled care and other collaborative models, this type of education will likely improve your post-acute care discharge outcomes.

At CALTCM, we look forward to future Posters and blogs on this subject.

Click here for a downloadable Online Patient Education Resource Page