The trend: Most physicians provide patients with educational resources to better understand their diagnosis, condition, or treatment, but print materials remain more common than digital ones, according to a March PatientPoint survey of 1,000 clinicians.

Some 90% of physicians said they provide enough relevant patient education during visits. Their most-used resources include:

• Electronic health record (EHR) printouts (60%)
• Printed brochures (58%)
• Patient portal resources (54%)
• Website links (42%)
• In-office digital screens (27%)
• Videos or interactive tools (26%)
• Pharma manufacturer materials (22%)

Why it matters: Physicians favor printed resources, but digital ones can potentially make patient education more actionable. This could include allowing a patient to revisit instructions, watch a demonstration of how to administer a medication, or find savings information.

Printed handouts can reinforce a conversation, but they lack the interactivity, depth, and easy access to additional information that videos and links provide. Some 73% of consumers say they value online educational materials (e.g., video links, digital brochures) provided by a doctor or hospital, according to the M3 MI 2026 MARS Consumer Health survey.

Feedback from both physicians and patients suggests that patient education from healthcare organizations could be improved. Some 36% of doctors say patients understand their diagnosis, condition, treatment options, and next steps only moderately (30%) or slightly well (6%), per PatientPoint. Meanwhile, 41% of patients leave appointments feeling as confused or more confused than when they arrived, according to a PatientPoint consumer survey from earlier this year. These physician and patient sentiments aren’t tied to digital versus printed materials, but they point to a gap between providing patient education and ensuring it is understood.

Recommendations for healthcare and pharma marketers: Provider organizations have widely adopted technology for their own workflows, but less universally for patient education. Providers may find comfort in knowing print essentially guarantees information reaches patients’ hands, while digital resources can require logins, enrollment, or another platform.

Marketers can maximize patient comprehension by harnessing digital's interactive power with the effortlessness and simplicity of handing someone a piece of paper.

• Remove access and engagement barriers to digital education materials. Use QR codes, texted links, or one-click URLs that open content directly, rather than requiring patients to create accounts, download apps, or remember portal passwords. Have clinicians introduce the resource during appointments to give it context and credibility.
• Make videos short and actionable. Break longer educational videos into brief segments addressing individual needs, such as administering a shot, managing a common side effect, or preparing for a procedure.
• Design for easy scanning. Put the most important takeaway first, use plain language and short sections, and make next steps visually obvious. Digital content should reduce cognitive load rather than replicate a dense printed brochure on a screen.

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