Running a practice
Practice Newsletters
Practice newsletters Ten steps to make them successful
Colin Mendelsohn, MBBS, is a general practitioner in Marabra, Sydney, Visiting Fellow, school of Community Medicine, University of New South Wales and Editor of Your Health newsletter
A practice newsletter can be a powerful educational and marketing tool in general practice and can improve communication with patients. This article examines some of the key principles of desktop publishing, graphic design and journalism necessary to produce your own newsletter. It draws on the literature and the author’s own experience of producing a successful newsletter for 9 years in his own general practice. Information is also provided about the commercial newsletters that are available on subscription
Practice newsletters are an effective way to communicate with patients.
According to surveys by the RACGP and others, up to 80% of GPs now have access to a computer at home or work.1,2 However, although doctors are well informed on medical subjects, they generally have little formal training in desktop publishing, graphic design or journalism. Well meaning attempts to produce a newsletter can result in a poor quality product that can present an unprofessional image and do more harm than good to a medical practice.3–5 Nevertheless, with some careful planning, time and some basic skills, it is possible to produce a quality publication without being an expert.
This article examines the benefits of having a newsletter in your practice and lists ten important steps to help make it successful Table 1. Information is also provided about several patient newsletters that are available to GPs on subscription.
Why have a practice newsletter?
Practice newsletters can educate your patients on important medical subjects. Patients are demanding more health information than ever before and there is rarely enough time to discuss all the important issues in a brief consultation, especially preventive health topics.
A high quality newsletter will also act as a form of ethical advertising for a practice. It may enhance the status of a practice, increase patient loyalty and goodwill and generate extra services by stimulating interest in health matters.6 It also has the potential to create referrals from your patients’ friends and relatives.7 It can also act as an up to date practice information brochure and helps qualify for Better Practice Program payments.
Producing your own newsletter can also be fun and provides an opportunity to be creative!
Ten steps for producing your own newsletter
Step 1: Write in simple, easy to understand language
Many patients, especially those from non-English speaking backgrounds, have difficulty following complex text. Even readers with high levels of literacy do not have the special knowledge of medical terms and concepts that GPs take for granted, and many self-evident concepts (to us) may need to be explained.8
It is therefore important to write in a simple style. If technical terms are used they should be defined as they are introduced. It is a good idea to ask a non-medical person to read the text to ensure that it can be understood by the lay reader.8
Many handouts written by doctors are difficult to read.9 Plain English principles and a more conversational style can help make your newsletter more readable.9,10 Some useful rules are:
- use the active rather than passive voice
- use verbs rather than nouns made from verbs
- use short sentences and paragraphs
- eliminate unnecessary words
Step 2: Grab your reader’s attention and hold it
Newsletter articles should attract attention immediately. Use catchy, concise headlines and state your key message in the first sentences or paragraph of the article to draw the reader into the story.3,5,11 Subheadings make it easier for the reader to scan the article and find information quickly.
Articles that are short, to the point and logically sequenced are usually easier to read. Try to avoid leaping to conclusions caused by the absence of linking steps between your statements –– the non-medical reader may not be able to fill in the gaps.8
Step 3: Select topics of interest to your patients
Aim to strike a balance of topics with something of interest to everyone in each edition, young and old, men and women.12 Common general practice problems, such as depression, hypertension, bowel cancer and migraine are popular. Preventive topics, such as immunisation, Pap smear, cholesterol tests, nutrition and smoking are especially important as these are often neglected in busy consultations. Recent developments in medical care or the latest controversies in the lay press are usually of interest to patients.
It helps to keep a list of common questions or subjects that patients raise in consultations and to address these in the next newsletter.6,7,13 If you still need further inspiration, there is no shortage of ideas in the myriad of medical journals GPs receive each month.
Step 4: Choose the right typefaces and type sizes
Resist polyfontophilia –– the temptation to use all the fonts on your computer!3 It is best to use only two or perhaps three typefaces. Typefaces with serifs (the small wedge shaped strokes at the ends of letters) are highly readable and are preferred for body text. A popular approach is to use a single serif typeface for body copy (such as Times Roman or Palatino) with a contrasting bold sans serif typeface (without serifs) for headlines and subheadings (such as Helvetica or Univers).
Type is measured in point size (72 points to the inch). Body text size is usually 10 to 12 points. The larger sizes are preferred for easier readability if you have a lot of older patients. A common mistake with headlines is to make them too small. Headlines should generally be 18–36 points (depending on the importance of the story) and in lower case, never capitals.
Step 5: Make the page layout visually appealing
A page of crowded text is very uninviting for most readers. The appearance of the text can be broken up by using strong headlines, subheadings and bullet points. Further interest can be added with art work, photographs and graphic elements, such as lines, borders, shadow boxes and backgrounds. However, as with typefaces, exercise restraint — too much can create a busy or disjointed appearance.
White space (the blank area free of graphics and text) is a powerful and often overlooked graphic element. Use it to frame headlines and illustrations for extra impact.
Oversized initial capitals add visual appeal and attract the reader to the start of a story. ‘Pull out’ quotations add interest and may induce patients skimming the newsletter to read the article.
Once you have designed a layout and style, it is a good idea to use it for each edition. We all like our favourite publication to be familiar and consistent.3(See further reading.)
Step 6: Use appropriate art work in moderation
Clip art (ready made art) can help enhance your message and brighten up the newsletter. Large libraries of electronic pictures are now available at low cost on CD-ROM or over the Internet. However, overuse of clip art can clutter a publication. In general, one large illustration is more effective than numerous small images.
Vector-based images are preferred (.eps, .wmf, .cgm formats) to bit-mapped images (.bmp, .pcx) as they can be enlarged without losing quality. Pictures can also be edited or cropped to increase visual impact. Very medical or anatomical images are often less appealing to patients and it is best to use these sparingly.
Step 7: Lighten up with a little humour
Appropriate cartoons and medical jokes help to provide light relief
from the serious medical content. Graphic artists or art students will
draw cartoons for a small fee (family or patients can do them for free!)
or they can be purchased from cartoon agencies. Copyright laws apply to
cartoons (as well as to pictures and text) reproduced in other
publications and you should seek permission from the author or publisher
before using them.
Crosswords, puzzles, word squares and quizzes can also lighten the tone and are great fun to design.4 They also make the newsletter more interactive and help to engage the reader.
Step 8: Include up to date practice information
Incorporate important details about your surgery such as opening hours, house call policy, services provided, after hours arrangements, billing policy and office staff. Patients can be notified about changes in the practice, such as new staff members, so that practice information is always kept up to date. It is best to use a personal tone, such as: ‘I like to visit ...’ rather than ‘the doctor likes to visit...’
Step 9: Publish quarterly newsletters of two to four pages
Quarterly newsletters are the most popular choice, particularly as this frequently lends itself to addressing seasonal health concerns, such as flu vaccination reminders in autumn.7,13 More frequent newsletters, or publications larger than four pages can become a burden and can leave you struggling to find interesting topics.
A prerequisite for producing your newsletter is some basic skill with an appropriate software package by either the doctor or a staff member. Professional newsletters can be prepared with word processing programs such as Microsoft Word and WordPerfect or desktop publishing programs like Publisher, Pagemaker and QuarkXPress.
A small number of A4 size newsletters can be produced on the office laser printer or photocopier. For larger supplies, it is cheaper to send the artwork to the printer for offset printing. Newsletter printing is usually free of sales tax (22%) under Item 100 of the Sales Tax Act 1992. You will need to apply to the Australian Tax Office for exemption.
Step 10: Distribute the newsletter to all your patients
Newsletters handed personally by the doctor to the patient are valued
most highly. You may wish to ask your secretary to place copies in the
patient files each day to remind you to give them out. Keep further
supplies prominently displayed on the reception desk and in the waiting
room.
However, after all your effort, you will want all your patients to
receive a copy of your masterpiece! Consider mailing it to all active
patients on your computer database (although this can be expensive) or
perhaps to selected groups, such as new patients or those you
haven’t seen for 6 months.7,12,13 Many doctors enclose newsletters
with posted recalls, accounts and repeat prescriptions.14
Commercial newsletters
If you do not have the time, resources or interest to produce your own newsletter, there are several newsletters available on subscription to Australian GPs (Table 2). Those listed are produced by medical practitioners and are personalised with your own practice information, which can be changed as needed. All are four pages (A3 folded into A4). Because of economies of scale, commercial newsletters are generally cheaper than producing your own.
Conclusion
A professional looking newsletter requires more than just access to a computer and a desktop publishing program. It needs time, planning and careful application of the basic principles of design, publishing and journalism. An effective newsletter can be a valuable educational aid for your patients and a powerful and ethical marketing tool for your practice.
References
- GPs relationship with information in the 90s. Prepared for the Medical Publishers Association of Australia. Yann Cambell Hoare Wheeler, 1996.
- Bolton P, Gay R. Review of computer usage among RACGP members. Aust Fam Physician 1995;24(10):1882–1885.
- Albert T. Set up a newsletter. Br Med J 1992; 305:631–635
- Harman Smith T. Practice brochures and newsletters. Dentessence 1990; 1 (3): 23–24.
- National Council of State Boards of Nursing. Do the write thing! Tips for a healthy newsletter. Issues 1990; 11 (3).
- Aukerman G F. Developing a patient education newsletter. The journal of family practice. 1991; 33:304–305,
- Beck L. A good patient newsletter is great. Med Econ 1986: 171–182.
- Ferguson L, MacLulich C, Ravelli L. Meanings and messages. Language guidelines for museums exhibitions. Australian Museum 1995.
- Albert T, Chadwick S. How readable are practice leaflets? Br Med J 1992; 305: 1266–1268.
- Eagleson R D. Writing in plain English. Canberra: AGPS, 1990.
- Gudewich V. Writing a newsletter. Mass Nurse 1991; 61 (2): 10.
- Manji 1. Patient newsletters: the debate continues. J Can Dent Assoc 1993; 59(6) 509–511.
- Hutchinson J G, Farah T A. Office newsletters: The steps they forgot to tell you. Denta Econ 1995: 57–68.
- Fletcher J D. Setting up a practice newsletter (letter). Br Med J 1992; 305:892.
Further reading
Parker R C. Desktop Publishing and Design for Dummies. Foster
City:IDG Books, 1995.
Parker R C. Looking Good in Print, Deluxe CD-ROM edition. Research
Triangle Park: Ventana Press, 1997.
Table 1. Ten steps for a successful practice newsletter
- Write in simple, easy to understand language
- Grab your reader’s attention and hold it
- Select topics that are of interest to your patients
- Use the right typefaces and type sizes
- Make the page layout visually appealing
- Use appropriate clip art in moderation
- Lighten up with a little humour
- Include up to date practice information
- Publish quarterly newsletters of two to four pages
- Distribute the newsletter to all your patients
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