Health information for patients: time to look beyond patient information leaflets

The 2004 United Kingdom white paper ‘Better information, better choices, better health’ sets out an ambitious strategy for the provision of health information.1 Everyone should have improved access to high quality information, health professionals should communicate more effectively with patients, and there should be a nationally coordinated process to produce and deliver information. There has been some progress towards these goals (e.g. NHS Direct now provides consumer health information by telephone, internet and digital television), but many patients and consumers still do not have access to the information they need or want, in a format they can understand.2 A lack of appropriate health information can have serious or even fatal consequences.3 As the target date for implementing the strategy is 2008, we discuss health information provision and what can be done to improve health communication.