Dialysis Patient Citizens Health Promotion Pamphlet Essay

Kidney failure is a life altering condition that significantly impacts the way an individual lives. According to â€Å"National Kidney Center† (2014), â€Å"Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) affects 26 million Americans. Early detection can help to prevent progression of the disease – which ultimately can lead to kidney failure and death† (para. 1). If an individual is diagnosed with end stage renal disease (ESRD), the person must receive hemodialysis treatments to sustain life, or they will die. The Dialysis Patient Citizens (DPC) is a non-profit organization composed of dialysis and pre-dialysis patients. This 30,000 plus dialysis community advocates for the dialysis population to improve care, education, and support for people suffering from kidney disease (Dialysis Patient Citizens). The following material will critique the DPC’s pamphlet for layout, quality, clarity, literacy, and usefulness. Review of cultural sensitivity and self-care management in the p amphlet information will also occur. Layout appeal Layout appeal is crucial for a pamphlet as the layout appeal is what grabs the interest of an individual and entices the individual to pick up a brochure and read through it. The layout of the DPC pamphlet is neat, colorful, and clear. Each sub-heading is bold identifying the topic of information in the section. This booklet also provides pictures of individuals of various ethnicities, age, and sex signifying that kidney failure can affect anyone. A picture of the United States flag is also on the pamphlet. Content and quality Content and the quality of the pamphlet were well thought out and presented. The presentation for the content of the information shows organization and  flows throughout the pamphlet. Each sub-topic leads into the other and flows smoothly with culmination of the material formed in a summary and conclusion in the last paragraph. Presentation of the quality of material is neat, organized, and easy to follow. The booklet provides valuable, but concise information that is important to maintain the reader’s interest. The pamphlet has a limited amount of space to engage the reader and spark interest in the reader to investigate the organization further. Through a quality presentation, the DPC pamphlet captures the reader to research this organization more. Usefulness/Clarity The information found in this pamphlet is relevant and useful for dialysis patients. The DPC pamphlet speaks of empowering dialysis and pre-dialysis patients in managing their care and to have access to resources that will help the patient manage their care better. The clarity of the information provides the individual the opportunity to read quickly through and understand the information. Some of the relevant information are repeated in the pamphlet that provides the individual the chance to absorb and more fully understand the information. Reading and Literacy Level Prior to creating a pamphlet, or any literature emphasis should be on the intended audience. The Huffington post states that â€Å"According to the National Assessment of Adult Literacy (completed most recently in 2003, and before that, in 1992), 14 percent of adult Americans demonstrated a â€Å"below basic† literacy level in 2003, and 29 percent exhibited a â€Å"basic† reading level (para. 3). Establishing the audience prior to writing will allow the writer to communicate the information at the reading level of the intended audience. â€Å"The difference among audiences make it necessary to avoid the one-size fits-all mindset when developing effective health communication material† (CDC-Center for Disease Prevention: Health and Human Services, 2010, slide 3). The writing in the pamphlet was easy to read and understand. Most of the information was basic and did not contain any uncommonly used words. The words in the pamphlet are words that people use when communicating with each other on a regular basis. An example of a sentence according to â€Å"Improving our Lives through Empowerment (n.d.) â€Å"We provide information about dialysis care, help strengthen the partnership  between patients and caregivers, tell our lawmakers about the issues that matter to us and provide a strong community for our members† (Dialysis Patient Citizens). Cultural sensitivity and competence As mentioned earlier the brochure is culturally diverse as the information in the pamphlet does not suggest a specific culture. Pictures of the people contained in the pamphlet are of different ethnicity, race, age, and sex. This pamphlet speaks to the reader in a non-verbal way because the reader can identify with one of the individuals advertising in the pamphlet. The brochure announces that this organization is a â€Å"patient organization† therefore membership is restricted to dialysis patients, pre-dialysis patients, and families of dialysis patients (Dialysis Patient Citizens). The reason for this is that this allows the organization to maintain focus on dialysis interests and issues (Dialysis Patient Citizens). The Board of Directors for DPC are dialysis patients or former dialysis patients that have been the recipient of a transplant (Dialysis Patient Citizens). Helpful hints or tips for self-care management Information regarding the need for DPC and what joining this community will bring to the patient is evident. This community lists the important points of what the person will gain if they join. One of the recognizable points in this pamphlet is the declaration that there are educational tools available to help the members manage their health as efficiently as possible (Dialysis Patient Citizens). Also, the word advocate appears many times throughout the literature suggesting that this community wants to stress to the reader the importance of being your own advocate and also coming together to be one strong voice for this community. Publisher Distribution of the pamphlet is by the Dialysis Patient Citizens (DPC). There is no direct mention of the publisher. There is an address, phone number, email, and website address provided for this community. Conclusion The Dialysis Patient Citizens community is a community that wishes to expand its membership. By advertising and distributing this brochure, the community announces to the public that through their organization patients can improve  their education, advocacy, and voice within the dialysis population. This pamphlet is appealing to people that see it because of the layout, content, ease in reading, and concise presentation of material. This pamphlet does not discriminate against any race, ethnicity, sex, or age and, as a result, is culturally competent. Through the pamphlets ease in understanding the literature, dialysis patients are sure to comprehend the information and seek further into the opportunity presented before them. Reference Center for Disease Prevention (CDC): Health and Human Services. (2010). Simply Put: A guide for creating easy-to-understand materials [PowerPoint slides]. Retrieved from http://www.cdc.gov/healthliteracy/pdf/Simply_Put.pdf. Dialysis Patient Citizens (DPC). (n.d.). Improving our Lives through Empowerment. Huffington Post (2013). Retrieved from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/09/06/illiteracy-rate_n_3880355.html National Kidney Center (2014). http://www.nationalkidneycenter.org/chronic-kidney- disease/facts/