UpToDate

Patient Education Materials in UpToDate

In addition to clinical topics, calculators, drug information, and practice updates, UpToDate also has a collection of patient education materials. These materials are divided into two sections:

• Basic: These handouts are usually one to three pages long and provide a short overview of a topic, utilizing plain language principles, with answers most popular four or five questions patients might have about the condition. These handouts are best for patients unfamiliar with medical terminology or for those with low health literacy.
• Beyond Basic: These handouts provide a more detailed overview of topics and include more advanced medical terminology. These handouts are best for patients who want to know little more about the topic and are comfortable with medical terminology. 

There are handouts in many categories including:

How to Access Patient Education Handouts

There are two main ways to access patient education handouts:

• Search: You can enter your topic in the search box, and then filter the results by Patient to only see patient handout results. 
• Browse: Click on Patient Handouts on the UpToDate homepage and click on a category of handouts.

Review the sections below to learn how to access patient education handouts. 

How to Search for Patient Education Handouts

1. To search for a handout, first enter your search topic in the search box anc click search.
2. Next, click on Patient, and then click on the handout title. 

How to browse for handouts

1. First click on the Patient Education link at the top of the screen.
2. Click on a topic category such as diabetes, hormones, mental health, etc. 
3. Click on the handout within that category.