Patient Information Leaflets are Crucial says Hampshire GP - October 08

WHEN YOU become unwell – suddenly everyone you meet seems to be an expert on your particular condition.

Well-meaning family members and friends who just want to help, will offer their advice and tell you what medicine they were prescribed if they are a fellow-sufferer.

Every newspaper and magazine will suddenly seem to carry articles on your particular illness – and plenty of the advice will be contradictory. One expert will advise doing one thing and another will tell you to do the exact opposite.

And then in a bid to ease your fears, you might go online to look up your condition and see what the virtual medical experts say.

Ultimately it can all be pretty confusing – and if you don't watch out you can end up in a bit of a pickle.

That's why Hampshire GP Karen O'Reilly favors patients having access to leaflets that can tell them all they need to know about what's happening to their body and what treatment is available.

“There is a huge amount of information out there now both from family, friends and the internet and it can be very confusing. That's why it's important for patients to have access to good quality information they can use to understand their illness or condition and perhaps to help inform any decision they need to make about their treatment,” she said.

Having a leaflet to take home with you to read in the comfort of your own home is something Dr O'Reilly prefers – and it can help patients to ask the right questions when they do see their doctor.

“All of us forget about 70 per cent of what is said to us when we are sitting face to face with our doctor, so it's important to have something to refer back to and read when you get home,” she said.

IDS UK’s leaflet distribution network

IDS UK has built an impressive network of information stands in 6,000 GP surgeries and nearly one thousand pharmacies throughout the UK. Business Development Manager Sarah O'Reilly explained the service had proved popular with patients and their families.

“We stock a great range of leaflets that are informative and promote greater understanding of particular conditions. The leaflet stands are also popular with family members who want to know more about particular illnesses and don't want to bother the person they know who is ill with their questions. It is important for patients to be as informed as possible so they can get the best possible treatment,” she said.

For more information about placing your health awareness or sign posting leaflet into the GP, Pharmacy or Practice Nurse networks IDS operate, please contact Sarah O'Reilly on 01489 860006.

[ Back to News page ]