Pocket-Sized Patient Education

At the end of an office visit, write medication instructions, follow-up appointments,tests, diagnoses, and warning symptoms on a small note pad and givethe sheet to the patient. Concise instructions help patients understand the purposeof their medications and remind them of important directives. Make aphotocopy for the patient's record; this can serve both as a summary of thevisit and as a prompt for end-of-day dictation.
-- Cheryl Iverson, DO, MPH
   Muskegon, Mich