Every year, the Patient Education Team identifies patient pamphlets that have not been reviewed or updated within 5 years of the last review date. The team then contacts the content creators and recommends that the pamphlet be updated or removed from circulation.

This November, any pamphlet published in 2016 or before must be reviewed and updated, or it will be removed from the collection on February 1st, 2022. 

Routine archiving of out-of-date pamphlets is done in accordance with policy AD-LIB-001 Patient Education Materials: Development and Maintenance (S.4.3.4). This helps to ensure that Nova Scotia Health patients and families receive up-to-date and clinically accurate patient education materials.

The names of drugs and medications may change. Clinic or department contact information changes with staff departures and hires. Changes to clinical practice are common. Accordingly, Nova Scotia Health patient pamphlets must be reviewed by the teams that created them, and/or the teams that use them, to ensure that these changes are reflected in the materials we provide to patients and their families.

Library Services’ Patient Education Team is available to support Nova Scotia Health staff in updating any pamphlets published in or before 2016. After January 31, 2022, if any of these pamphlets have not been reviewed and updated, they will be archived and removed from the publicly-available catalogue and pamphlet listing.

The full list of items that must be reviewed and updated before January 31st, 2022 can be found in the Patient Pamphlets to Archive 2021-22 spreadsheet.

 

What is required from you? 

  • Check the list of titles up for review. 
  • Complete the Archiving Project 2021-22 form before the January 31st, 2022 deadline to let us know that you or your team intend to review and update a pamphlet.
  • Complete the Archiving Project 2021-22 form to recommend a pamphlet for archiving.
  • Pass along this information to those involved in developing, ordering, or using patient education pamphlets in your department, unit, or service area.

The Patient Education Team can send you the latest version of the pamphlet as a MS Word document so you can edit it more easily. We facilitate the review and update process for you. We will: 

  • Integrate your team’s edits and feedback
  • Review for plain language and readability
  • Coordinate adaptation and reprint permission requests
  • Ensure consistent messaging in line with other Nova Scotia Health materials
  • Update layout and branding

Go to the Archiving Project 2021-22 form to get started today. Questions? Contact pamphlets@nshealth.ca.

Kallen Rutledge

Librarian Educator, Patient Education Pamphlets Lead
Nova Scotia Hospital, Central Zone