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How to Write Patient Education Materials

How to Write Patient Education Materials teaches you how to write articles about diseases, conditions, treatments and medications. Think Mayo Clinic and Healthline-style content. Discover how to plan, structure and write effective patient educational materials that your readers understand, remember and act on. Transform your readers' health with the power of effective patient education.

Next course: Monday 15 May 2023.

Join the waiting list.

Learn how to write about diseases, treatments and medications

You understand the importance of educating patients and empowering them to take control of their health. But creating engaging and effective patient education materials can be a challenge.

That’s where the How to Write Patient Education Materials course comes in. Instructor Michelle Guillemard, a health writer with 10+ years experience writing patient education materials, will guide you through the process of creating impactful patient education materials that truly engage and educate your patients.

The best part is that you’ll write a patient handout of your own – and, you’ll receive hands-on training and personalised feedback on your writing to help you perfect your patient education writing skills.

By the end of the course, you’ll have the skills and knowledge you need to create effective patient education materials. Whether you’re a healthcare professional, a health writer or just interested in patient education, the How to Write Patient Education Materials course is the perfect starting point.

patient education writing course
  • Learn what makes effective patient education materials
  • Create materials that are easy to understand, regardless of the patient’s education or literacy level
  • Building patient engagement and trust
  • Understanding the needs of your patients
  • Evaluate and refine your materials

COURSE OUTLINE

WAITING LIST

Trusted
More than 2000 students in 42 countries have taken our courses.

Flexible
Access to all course materials 24/7, so you can learn at your own pace on your own time.

Accredited
We’re independently accredited for quality, academic standards and professional development.

Comprehensive
The lessons walk you through exactly how to write a patient handout.

PEM waiting list: Course page

Join the waiting list

The next How to Write Patient Education Materials course starts on Monday 15 May 2023. Enter your email to join the waiting list. You'll also get access to our early-registration bonus offer!

You'll also join 20,000+ others who receive our regular emails. View Terms and Privacy.

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A comprehensive course

Kate Marsh“How to Write Patient Education Materials is a comprehensive course, covering a variety of aspects of writing patient education materials. It was also great to have Michelle’s responses to homework tasks and general questions, along with interaction with other students.”

Kate Marsh, Australia

What you’ll learn

How to Write Patient Education Materials teaches you how to:

  • Explain complex medical topics clearly and concisely
  • Answer your readers’ key health questions
  • Provide the right amount of information without overwhelming readers
  • Plan and structure your writing
  • Write content that your readers remember and action
  • Choose the most appropriate language for your health topic
  • Improve your readers’ health literacy skills.

Who is this course for?

How to Write Patient Education Materials is perfect for writers (new and experienced), coaches, health professionals, communications professionals, marketers and researchers who want to write patient education materials for health services, websites, marketing materials, social media, health businesses, brands and resources.

How does this course work?

Here’s what you can expect.

how to write patient education materials course

12 engaging lessons

  • Self-paced; start learning as soon as you register
  • Work through the lessons in your own time
  • Email Michelle whenever you have questions.

Writing feedback

  • Write a patient handout
  • Send your handout to Michelle for feedback
  • Get a detailed critique with action points and tips for improvement!
how to write patient education materials course

What’s included?

Industry-leading resources to help you write high-quality patient handouts and educational materials.

  • 12 comprehensive lessons (audio lectures AND text modules) meeting the core learning objectives
  • 3 patient handout templates for writing about health topics, procedures and medications
  • 14 free health writing webinars to enhance your learning objectives
  • 25 handouts full of best-practice resources
  • Downloadable audio lectures and lecture notes
  • One assessed patient handout writing task to put the learnings into practice
  • CPD accreditation for your annual CPD requirements
  • Lively student-only Facebook group of 1200+ writers
  • Ongoing access to course updates
  • 1:1 support for every student
  • Health Writer Hub Alumni membership including free webinars
  • Loyalty discounts giving you 30% off every other course
  • World-class eLearning platform for a seamless learning experience.

What are the benefits and opportunities after completion?

After you complete How to Write Patient Education Materials, you will have:

how to write patient education materials course
  • A certificate to enhance your credibility when applying for freelance and employed roles
  • Writing skills to help you write useful, engaging and readable patient handouts
  • Confidence to write health content that answers the questions patients are asking
  • Knowledge and templates to help you write high-quality health content in future.
PEM waiting list: Course page

Join the waiting list

The next How to Write Patient Education Materials course starts on Monday 15 May 2023. Enter your email to join the waiting list. You'll also get access to our early-registration bonus offer!

You'll also join 20,000+ others who receive our regular emails. View Terms and Privacy.

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Course curriculum

How to Write Patient Education Materials includes 12 lessons plus one writing assignment.

Focus areas

Understanding patient education materials

  • What are patient education materials?
    Gain an understanding of the purpose of patient education materials, explore the difference between education and promotion, and learn about the wide variety of patient handout options.
  • The importance of defining the ideal reader of your patient material.
    Discover how and why educating patients involves understanding their needs and key questions.
  • Planning and context.
    Learn how to effectively plan your patient education material and consider the key factors that influence your writing choices, such as format and context.

Structure, research and language

  • How to structure a patient handout (with templates).
    Determine the most appropriate structure for your patient education materials. Explore a variety of options for effective structure and get templates to help you write your patient education materials.
  • Conducting effective research for your patient handout.
    Books, journal articles, websites or interviews? Learn the key sources you should rely on – and those you should avoid – when you’re researching for your patient handout.
  • People, not patients – using the right language.
    The language you use in your writing can engage or alienate your readers, so discover how to help – not harm – your readers’ comprehension.

Focus areas

Health literacy, readability and engagement

  • Improving health literacy.
    Explore the relationship between health literacy and patient education and learn techniques to help improve your readers’ health literacy skills.
  • How to write readable patient education materials.
    Discover the essential readability techniques that will ensure your handout is easy to read, understand, follow and remember.
  • How to write original, engaging content.
    There are so many patient education materials online, so how can you make yours different? Learn strategies for creating unique content about common topics.

Referencing, editing and future strategies

  • Referencing options.
    Discover how to effectively reference your handouts and materials in both online and offline formats.
  • Effective editing and proofreading strategies.
    Learn how to edit and proofread your work efficiently – even when you have limited time.
  • Next steps and resources.
    Consolidate all the techniques in this course and develop strategies to monitor your materials in the future.

An incredibly supportive, helpful, and diverse group of professionals

Amy Harris“One of the most useful parts of taking the How to Write Patient Education Materials course was the connection to the Health Writer Hub alumni community and Facebook Group. It is an incredibly supportive, helpful, and diverse group of professionals with a passion for health literacy. They have provided great professional advice and even employment opportunities for me.”

Amy Harris, USA

Writing assignment

Write a patient handout

  • Write a patient handout on a topic of your choice using all the techniques you’ve learned in this course.
  • Send your handout to Michelle after you’ve completed the course.
  • Get personalised feedback and tips for improvement.
  • Use your patient handout in your portfolio to show prospective clients and employers.

Alumni Bonuses!

Free templates, checklists, planners and 10+ hours of online learning.


  • 14 Alumni-Only Webinars – webinar topics include quoting for jobs, finding clients, CV writing, finding employed work, website essentials, subcontracting, marketing and more!
  • Freelance Health Writer Business Planner (value $49) – map out your freelance career transition confidently with our detailed planner
  • Health Writing Template Package (value $99) – save time and write better content faster with our handy templates
  • 110 Websites That Accept Health Article Pitches Guide (value $49) – a comprehensive list of websites that accept article pitches and guest posts from health writers.

Very informative, effective and valuable

K King"I am extremely proud to announce that I found How to Write Patient Education Materials very informative, effective and valuable in learning about how to write patient education materials. There is a well-organized planner to help you order your thoughts when planning what information to put in the health education materials about the health topic of your choice and lectures which tell you what to how and what to or not to write. I enjoyed the lessons and lectures which were very attention-getting and interesting."

Karon King, USA

Certified and accredited

Accredited for quality and standards.

patient education writing course certificate

How to Write Patient Education Materials is an approved Continuing Professional Development (CPD) course, independently accredited with the CPD Certification Service – one of the world’s leading independent CPD accreditation institutions.

As an accredited medical writing course, How to Write Patient Education Materials meets the required standard of CPD at a global level. The course’s learning value and structure conform to global CPD guidelines and principles, complementing the CPD policies of professional institutes and academic bodies.

PEM waiting list: Course page

Join the waiting list

The next How to Write Patient Education Materials course starts on Monday 15 May 2023. Enter your email to join the waiting list. You'll also get access to our early-registration bonus offer!

You'll also join 20,000+ others who receive our regular emails. View Terms and Privacy.

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Your teacher

Who I am, and why I want to help you succeed.

how to write patient education materials course michelle guillemard

Hi! I’m Michelle Guillemard, founder of Health Writer Hub and long-time patient education writer. For the past 10 years, I’ve written patient education for hospitals and health professionals about virtually every health topic you can think of: cancer, heart disease, rare disease, primary care concerns, medications, treatments, procedures. I’ve studied the craft and learned what works (as well as what doesn’t). I even won an award for my patient education materials!

Quality patient education materials can change lives and improve health outcomes. But many people struggle to write clear patient information. I want to make the patient education writing process easier for everyone, and that’s why I created this course.

In just 12 lessons, I'll teach you a straightforward writing process you can apply to any health topic! So let me break it down for you. In How to Write Patient Education Materials, I'll show you how to write a useful, engaging and readable handout that will help your readers improve their health literacy skills and manage their health. If you're ready to learn effective techniques for writing patient handouts and information, How to Write Patient Education Materials is the course for you!

My teaching method

I teach this course, and all my courses, through a combination of audio lectures (podcast style) and text resources. I also offer a range of video content, including bonus webinars and regular student interviews.

After experimenting with different combinations over the years and listening to student feedback, I am confident that delivering lectures in both audio AND text format is the most effective way for you to learn health writing in an online class environment.

While it’s up to you how you consume the content, you are welcome to:

  • listen and read the transcripts at the same time
  • listen and take your own notes
  • listen away from your computer
  • read the transcripts only.

Many students have told me that they like to listen to the lectures while driving, walking, hiking, running or cleaning the house – and, that’s fine as well!

Join a supportive group of like-minded health writers

When you join How to Write Patient Education Materials, you become a member of the Health Writer Hub Alumni – a smart, diverse and friendly community of 1200+ health writers from around the world. Alumni benefits include:

  • Loyalty discounts – 30% off any other Health Writer Hub course
  • Writing challenges – goals to keep you motivated and accountable
  • Global networking – connect with health writers from around the world
  • A supportive network of health writers – ask questions and share advice
  • Immediate access – join the group as soon as you sign up.

Student feedback

Read 100+ student reviews of other Health Writer Hub courses.

READ REVIEWS

Frequently asked questions

What you need to know.

Can I email you during the course if I have a question?
Yes – in fact, I want you to contact me! My full support is included in this course. I will answer any questions you have along the way, and I will talk to you about your next steps once you have finished the course.
Can I still take this course if I'm American/ English/ Australian/ European?
I often get students contacting me and asking this question. I have designed ALL my courses to be relevant for any English-speaking writer, anywhere. I don’t believe that your location should limit your health writing career prospects and everything that is taught in this course is applicable at a global level. I’ve had students from Australia, America, New Zealand, Asia, Europe and the UK take this and other courses.
How much does the course cost?
How to Write Patient Education Materials can be paid as a one-time fee of $299 or two monthly instalments of $155 – click here for the payment plan link. Fees are charged in USD. You can convert the fee to your local currency via the xe.com currency conversion website.
Do you offer a guarantee?
It’s critical to me that everyone who signs up for How to Write Patient Education Materials gets the most out of their course. I want you to be satisfied that the course content is exactly as described on this page, and I very much care about providing a high-quality, valuable course for all students. Once your course has commenced, there are no refunds if you are suddenly unable to attend. If you are not happy with the course content after the first lesson has been released, I encourage you to let me know so we can discuss your concerns together. If we can’t agree, you may be eligible for a refund less $100 administration fee.
How do I sign up and access the course?
To sign up for the course, click on the button on this page. You will then be asked to complete your payment, either via Stripe or PayPal. This course is priced in USD and will convert to your local currency on payment. You will receive a confirmation receipt and order number after you complete your payment.
How long will I have access?
You have ongoing access to the course and all updates. Your access will last as long as Health Writer Hub is around (10 years and counting!).
How much time do I need to set aside?
I recommend you allow around 1-2 hours per lesson to read the content, review the recommended reading and consider the action points. However, everyone is different, and these timings are only a guide.
How is this course different from other similar courses?
How to Write Patient Education Materials is a one-of-a-kind course! Most similar types of writing courses focus on writing in general or other forms of medical writing. This course is 100% geared to writing educational content for patients.
Do you offer loyalty discounts?
I do indeed! All students who take one of my courses will receive a voucher for 30% off any of my other courses. You can get in touch with me if you have any questions about this.
How often is the material updated?
I review and update the course content throughout the year. I survey students after they have completed the course and incorporate their suggestions. Additionally, I am constantly keeping up to date with new industry trends and looking for the latest advice to include – helping to ensure the content is always as relevant and current as possible.
Can you help me set up a freelance writing business?
This course is designed to teach you about writing patient education materials. While I discuss aspects of running a freelance business, it’s not just a freelance health writing course. If you’re interested in a comprehensive course on how to set up a freelance writing business, take a look at my freelance medical writing course.
I have a question – how can I contact you?
I welcome questions and am happy to hear from you. You can reach me via the contact form here.
PEM waiting list: Course page

Join the waiting list

The next How to Write Patient Education Materials course starts on Monday 15 May 2023. Enter your email to join the waiting list. You'll also get access to our early-registration bonus offer!

You'll also join 20,000+ others who receive our regular emails. View Terms and Privacy.

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