3 Tips to Retain Patients in Health Literacy Education Programs
You’ve recruited patients for a workshop, training, or class that teaches them about a health topic. The next challenge is retaining them. This article offers tips for keeping patients in your health literacy education program.
How can I retain patients in a health literacy education program?
To keep patients in the program, follow these three tips:
- Make it effective.
- Make it easy.
- Make it engaging.
We’ll discuss each of these tips in turn.
Tip 1: Make it effective
Start by developing an effective program that meets participants’ learning needs. The program should:
- Provide accurate information.
- Use effective communication.
- Use a variety of learning methods.
- Use co-creation.
- Use a tailored approach.
- Use a systemic process.
(Note: The development phase occurs even before you recruit patients for the program. To learn more, see Elements of an Effective Health Literacy Education Program.)
Tip 2: Make it easy
Make it easy for patients to stay in the program.
Lower barriers
Address barriers that make it harder for patients to stay in the program. For instance, some patients may have a disability that makes it harder to participate. Others may lack resources, such as time, money, childcare, computers, or cars. Adapt to patients’ changing needs.
Provide support
Invite patients to ask for help, and make sure they get the support they need. Support can come from peers, instructors, tutors, coaches, or (in the case of online programs) technical staff.
Tip 3: Make it engaging
Finally, keep patients engaged in the program.
Tailor the program to participants’ interests
At registration or on the first day, ask participants what they want to get from the program. Then try to tailor it to their interests. For instance, if patients in a diabetes prevention class want to know more about healthy cooking, the coach could demonstrate some techniques.
Encourage participation
Encourage participants to play an active role in the program. Invite questions and class discussions.
Likewise, set ground rules that spur participation. For instance:
- Give everyone a chance to talk.
- Treat people with respect and kindness.
Build connection
Create a sense of community in the program. This can happen through class discussions, group projects, and special events (such as field trips and parties).
While it’s easier for in-person programs to build connection, remote programs can do it too. For instance, they can include discussions by email, text, and video conference.
Offer concrete rewards
Give participants concrete rewards. These might include gift cards, learning certificates, and free food.
We extend our sincere gratitude to Sophia Wong, for her invaluable peer review and expert feedback, which significantly contributed to the enhancement of this article.
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