Patient Guides
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What people using the guide have to say: "The guide is an extremely useful patient education material for an often difficult to explain disease."The guides are really making a difference for patients. Patients are more reassured that they are not alone and they understand better." Everyday Guides for Patients and FamiliesManaging chronic disease is particularly challenging for patients with low health literacy. Clinicians need tools to help them educate patients to effectively manage chronic conditions. The ACP Foundation offers patient guides that are easy to use and effective in helping patients manage their health |
How are these guides different?
- Developed by experts: A multidisciplinary team including physicians behavioral scientists, educators, nurses, pharmacists, and design experts spend months working with patients and clinicians to develop the guides
- Input from patients and clinicians: The development team gets feedback from hundreds of patients and clinicians as they develop the guide.
- Simple language and photos: Patients prefer to be engaged by the look and tone of the material, not intimated by complex information and impersonal graphics
Focus on action: Patients want to understand what they can do to manage their condition. The guides suggest small steps they can take and help patients develop their own realistic action plans
How well do the guides work?
Feasibility studies found that patients using the guides achieve a very high rate of lasting behavior change. Clinicians and educators are using the guides effectively in a variety of clinical and training settings.
Order Everyday Guides for Patients and Families
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Living with DiabetesAs part of a three-year Diabetes Initiative, the Foundation, in conjunction with health literacy experts, has developed a diabetes self-management guide, Living with Diabetes: An Everyday Guide for You and Your Family. The guide covers diet, exercise, monitoring blood sugar, insulin, and pills.
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Living with COPDThe ACP Foundation in conjunction with health literacy experts, developed a COPD self-management guide: Living with COPD: An Everyday Guide for You and Your Family. The guide covers areas such as living well with COPD, getting the most out of medicines, becoming more active and planning for when your breathing gets worse.
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Caring for Your HeartUsing the same health literacy experts and physicians and the same rigorous method for developing material, the team developed Caring for Your Heart: An Everyday Guide for You and Your Family. The guide will help you,eat right, be active, get the most from your medicines, understanding your feelings, respond to chest pains and free yourself from smoking. Use these tips to start taking care of yourself one step at a time.
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