[Short information leaflets for patients - a service offered to physicians: Early implementation experiences]

Since 2010, the German Agency for Quality in Medicine has developed so-called short information leaflets for patients that are specifically designed for use in doctor-patient encounters. Physicians, patient representatives and communication specialists were involved in the development of this format. Their implementation aims at enhancing awareness and dissemination of these leaflets amongst the members of the self-governing bodies and other multipliers (like medical specialty societies, patient organisations, other bodies and institutions of the healthcare system). This paper describes the first implementation experiences on the basis of internally collected data on the involvement of multipliers, availability and assessment of their relevance. A first analysis shows that the short information leaflets are broadly available amongst the self-governing bodies and that they are considered to be of high relevance. Due to the direct involvement of the members of specialty societies and patient organisations and other experts, short information leaflets are also gaining acceptance outside the self-governing system. This is emphasised by the rising number of requests to reprint or cite or use the leaflets. Consistency with evidence-based treatment recommendations promotes acceptance of these leaflets among physicians.