From theory to pamphlet: the 3Ws and an H process for the development of meaningful patient education resources

There is growing recognition of the importance of patient education given the prevalence and consequences of low health literacy in Canada and the USA. Research has shown that in addition to plain language, the use of theories of learning can contribute to the effectiveness of patient education resources, and as such, various guidelines and toolkits have been put together to help healthcare providers utilize these theories. Despite these efforts, this knowledge is not consistently applied in practice. To address this gap, we describe a new theory-based protocol, the "3Ws and an H," that is designed to guide healthcare providers in the production of effective patient education resources. Adult learning theory underpins each step of the process, and by using the "3Ws and an H," relevant theories are applied as the steps of the protocol are followed. To facilitate the adoption of this process, we describe it using a resource development project for survivors of endometrial cancer as an example.