Print, Internet materials help you educate, inform patients

Would you like to provide your patients with reliable, take-home materials to enhance their understanding of a condition or upcoming procedure? Or enhance your practice Web site with a variety of online educational materials? AAOS patient education resources provide patient-friendly information on a variety of topics designed to complement your office consultations.

Booklet/brochure program
During the past year, the Academy has given its brochure and booklet program a new look complete with clear, concise explanations of anatomy, diagnosis, surgical and/or nonsurgical treatment options, practical tips and more.

Each brochure provides peer-reviewed content developed by orthopaedic surgeons in an easy-to-read reference format.

The latest series of patient education brochures—covering more than 30 orthopaedic conditions—includes 14 new titles, several of which are also available in Spanish (Table 1).

“My patients and I find the AAOS patient brochures very helpful,” said Christopher W. Rynne, MD, of South Shore Medical Center, in South Weymouth, Mass. Dr. Rynne has ordered nearly every brochure the AAOS offers.

“I keep the brochures on display in each exam room so patients can help themselves while they wait,” Dr. Rynne said.

Even in today’s computer age, physicians rely on AAOS patient education brochures as a valuable tool for engaging patients in their own health care.

“Although a lot of information is available to patients online, I believe in the continued benefit of brochures,” Dr. Rynne said. “AAOS patient education brochures are well done and fairly priced.”

Online materials
Dr. Rynne also downloads patient information from the Academy’s patient education Web site and collates it into binders he keeps in exam rooms for patients to review. Developed by orthopaedic surgeons, these patient education articles can be customized with your individual practice information and used to populate the patient education section of your practice Web site or printed on demand in your office. Topics range from detailed discussions about orthopaedic conditions and surgical procedures to general information about exercise and injury prevention.

AAOS patient education brochures and booklets are available through the comprehensive print and online patient education offering, Your Orthopaedic Connection. Recognized as the primary source of musculoskeletal information and education for patients, the Your Orthopaedic Connection Web site is also an excellent source of orthopaedic information for professionals and the general public. Your Orthopaedic Connection content—in print and online—provides valuable resources that enable you to further connect with your patients.

Additional tools from the AAOS can help promote your practice in the community and cultivate orthopaedic awareness. Free public relations resources include posters and postcards, Community Orthopaedic Awareness Program (COAP) education slideshows, traveling exhibits, public service announcements, resource kits on exercise and patient safety, and tool kits for media training and public relations.

For information on how to incorporate these patient education tools into your practice, visit orthoinfo.org

For information on ordering booklets and/or brochures, or customizing online patient education materials from orthoinfo.org, contact AAOS customer service at (800) 626-6726 or visit www.aaos.org/products, click on “Browse by topics,” “Patient Education.”

Maureen Leahy is assistant managing editor of AAOS Now. She can be reached at leahy@aaos.org