Sophie Martin

Patient education leaflets that patients actually understand (finally)

I've been a physio for 11 years. The patient education materials I gave people were fine but I always knew they weren't great. Too clinical. Patients would nod and then not follow the exercises. Started rewriting them with AI help this year. Total game changer. The process: I describe the condition and the key things the patient needs to understand. I ask Claude to write a plain-English explanation at a Year 8 reading level. I review for clinical accuracy. What I get is materials that explain the *why* behind everything. Why you ice, not heat. Why you do this stretch and not that one. Why resting completely actually makes it worse. Patients are asking better questions at follow-up appointments. They're complying better with home programs. One patient told me last month that my handout "was the first one that actually made sense." I also use AI to help me answer patient questions I get via email. Some questions are complex and I want to be thorough. I draft my answer, paste it in and ask "is this clear and easy to understand for a non-medical person?" It always finds something to improve.