OurPatientandCommunityEducationFlipchartsReachhasbeensupportedbyEdwardsLifesciencesFoundation’sEveryHeartbeatMattersInitiative,throughourRHDActionpartnershipwiththeWorldHeartFederation,todeveloptwopatienteducationflipchartsandonecommunityawarenessflipchart.Whilethethreeflipchartseachhaveauniquetargetaudience,allaredesignedtoenablehealthworkerstocommunicatewiththeircommunityaboutrheumaticfever(RF)/rheumaticheartdisease(RHD).Thefirst,RheumaticFeverandRheumaticHeartDisease,isanintroductoryflipchart,aimedatpatientswhoarenewlydiagnosedwithRForRHD.Itoutlinesthekeyinformationthatpatientsandtheirfamiliesneedtoknowaboutmanagingthedisease.ItalsoincludesasmallsectionforwomenofreproductiveagewithRF/RHD.

Thesecondflipchart,RheumaticHeartDiseaseandPregnancy,includescomprehensiveinformationaboutmanagingpregnancyandRHD.Itbeginswithaneducationalsectionforhealthworkerswhichcoversimportantpre-andpost-natalinformation,followedbytheflipchartwhichisusedwithpatients.

TheCommunityAwarenessflipchartisdesignedforcommunityandprimarycareproviderstousewithat-riskcommunities.Recognisingthatawarenessofthediseaseincommunitiesisoftenlow,thisflipchartaimstosupportpreventionandearlydiagnosisbyincreasingcommunityknowledgeandawarenessoftheriskofuntreatedsorethroatandofthesignsandsymptomsofRF.

HowitWorksForeachtopic,thereisapageforthehealthworkerandacorrespondingpageforthepatient.Thehealthworkerpageshows,indotpoints,thekeymessagestoteachthepatient.Thepatientpageshowspicturesthatillustratetheinformationbeingexplained.

Healthworkerpage Correspondingpatientpage

FurtherDetailsAllthreeflipchartswereassessedbyourCommunityAdvisoryNetworkpriortofinalisationandarebeingpilotedinMontesClaros,Brazil.TheyarecurrentlyavailableinEnglishandPortuguese(Brazil),withtranslationintootherlanguagesunderway.Forfurtherdetails,orifyouthinkoneormoreoftheseflipchartswillbeusefulforyourcommunity,pleasefeelfreetogetintouchwithusatinfo@stoprhd.org.