Explaining things to patients.
WHERE IT HELPS
Turning clinical information into plain language Producing information at an appropriate reading level Translating, with verification Answering the questions patients commonly ask
HOW TO ASK
"Explain [condition or procedure] for a patient with no medical background. Plain language. Around three hundred words. Cover what it is, what happens next, and what to watch for."
WHAT MUST HAPPEN
A clinician reviews every piece before it reaches a patient.
Generated patient information contains errors, and patients act on it.
WHAT TO CHECK
Accuracy of every clinical statement Doses, if mentioned at all Warning signs, which must be complete That nothing is omitted that the patient needs
THE OMISSION RISK
Generated material reads completely and may omit a critical warning.
Check against your own knowledge of what patients must be told.
TRANSLATION
Never release translated medical information without review by a clinically competent speaker.
A mistranslation in patient information causes harm.
THE BENEFIT
Producing readable material that would otherwise not exist.
