Creating Patient Education Resources

All patient education pamphlets are created to be:

1. Easy to access – The pamphlets collection is available online for the public and staff to search or browse, with the option to print. Print copies of pamphlets are readily available for staff to order from Dalhousie Printing Services.
2. Accurate – All pamphlet files are managed by the Patient Education Team. This ensures they are reviewed and approved by clinical staff every 3 to 5 years to reflect current clinical practice and best evidence.
3. Easy to read and understand – To accommodate varying levels of health literacy, all pamphlets are written in plain language (around a grade 6 reading level) and are organized for maximum readability. This ensures all patients have access to the same information.
4. Accessible – All pamphlets are designed to meet recommended accessibility standards and incorporate principles of diversity, equity, and inclusion.
5. High quality – All pamphlets are reviewed and copyedited by more than one staff member to ensure they are of the highest quality and use consistent language.

The Patient Education Team is available to support Nova Scotia Health staff and clinicians across the province in creating evidence-based, people-centred pamphlets (as per Nova Scotia Health policy AD-LIB-001). The Team will:

• Determine if the material is suitable to be added to the patient education collection.
• Review and edit patient education resources for readability, plain language, and consistency.
• Work with the Copyright Team to provide copyright guidance, and facilitate adaptation and permission requests.
• Manage Nova Scotia Health patient education pamphlet versions and file formats.
• Initiate cyclical reviews of each patient education pamphlet to ensure clinical accuracy and patient safety.
• Format and implement organizational branding standards using design software.
• Ensure the patient education pamphlets collection is accessible and meets provincial accessibility standards.
• Create and provide pamphlet files for printing to Dalhousie Printing Services.
• Manage and provide access to the patient education pamphlets collection online.

What is the role of pamphlet content creators?

Nova Scotia Health staff and clinicians are responsible for:

• Creating, reviewing, and updating the content of patient education pamphlets used in their area, group, department, clinic, or specialty, in collaboration with the Patient Education Team. This may be an individual or a working group.
• Ensuring all content (including images) used in their resources is used in accordance with Canadian copyright law.
• Ensuring all resources are reviewed and approved by an appropriate team member and clinical subject matter expert every 3-5 years.
• Recycling outdated print copies of any patient education pamphlets to prevent the circulation of misinformation.
• Contacting Pamphlets@nshealth.ca as soon as possible if misinformation is identified within a current patient education pamphlet.

Nova Scotia Health policy AD-LIB-001 outlines the process to create and maintain Nova Scotia Health patient education resources (pamphlets) in support of person-centred care by accommodating differing levels of health literacy, for increased patient compliance and safety.