Opinion  

The quality of patient information currently available is patchy and needs to improve, says Sarah Claridge

Working in partnership with patients to enable them to self care and participate in decisions about their treatment is vital for the future success of the NHS. Nurses have been, and will continue to be, on the front line of delivering this support, yet are the tools they are given for this vital communications role up to the job?

A recent study by the Picker Institute revealed that after doctors (73 per cent), nurses (22 per cent) are the next health professional that patients turn to for health information.1 Yet the same study, commissioned by the DoH, shows that the quality of patient information available to them is patchy.

Hard to find reliable information

The report discovered it was hard to find information that was sufficiently reliable, accurate and detailed to help patients make decisions about their care. The plethora of resources that exist are confusing for patients and professionals. The study estimated some 60,000 organisations in the UK provide information about health and social care. It concludes many information leaflets and websites need to improve.

The report recommended providers systematically involve patients, carers and others in the production of patient information. Staggeringly, few of those studied had done so.

Similarly, ensuring resources are properly promoted is vital if they are to benefit to patients. The report calls for better dissemination activities on the part of the producers of materials to increase the awareness and availability of information. Nurses should not be expected to hunt around or track down what is available – they need information at their finger tips. Information providers could do much to make this a reality.

The government is currently examining the feasibility of introducing a national accreditation scheme – or kitemark – which would review patient information in terms of improving awareness, co-ordination, quality and accessibility. The study sought the views of nurses, among others, on the value of a kitemarking initiative. Respondents were generally in favour, but recognised the need for it to be properly established and administered if it were to succeed. Widespread public awareness would also be essential for any such scheme to flourish.

Patients need support to engage in self care

Also key to effective self care is the delivery of health information in a supportive environment, as another report by the Picker Institute shows.2 Patients find it easier to engage in self care when supported and aided by a professional.

The front-line role nurses often play in communicating with patients – listening to and allaying their concerns, advising on treatment and offering help and guidance – offers a positive communications model for other health professionals.

Increasingly, strong ‘people’ skills are seen as vital to fruitful interactions and partnerships between professional and patient. Couple their well-honed communication skills with effective tools and resources and nurses could be well placed to become the champions of self-care implementation.

- Sarah Claridge is communications manager at the Picker Institute. She co-ordinates its publishing programme of reports on patients’ experiences of healthcare. She is a passionate advocate of the need for accessible information within healthcare.

References

1. Picker Institute Europe. Assessing the quality of information to support people in making decisions about their health and healthcare. Oxford: November 2006

2. Ellins J, Coulter A. How engaged are people in their health care? Findings of a national telephone survey. London: Health Foundation; 2005