| Course | HCS 245 Introduction to Health and Disease (HCS/245) |
|---|---|
| Week | 4 |
| Paper type | Health promotion brochure with rationale |
| Length | about 1,118 words, 4 double-spaced pages plus title page and references |
| Format | APA 7 student paper |
| School | University of Phoenix |
| Program | BS in Health Administration |
| Updated | September 2026 |
Free sample paper for HCS 245 Week 4
More Than Chest Pain: A Patient Brochure on Heart Attack Warning Signs in Women for a Community Health Center, With the Reasoning Behind Every Panel
[Student Name]
University of Phoenix
HCS/245: Introduction to Health and Disease
Week 4 Assignment
[Instructor Name]
[Date]
The health center, its patients and its figures are composites written for a model paper; symptom findings come from the sources listed.
Three women treated for heart attacks at a composite community health center last year had something in common. Each felt unwell for hours before calling anyone. One thought her tight chest and nausea were a reaction to stress at work. One took antacids through the night. One drove herself to urgent care after her daughter insisted. The center's quality committee asked its health education staff for a brochure that would help women recognize a heart attack and act quickly. This paper presents the brochure text, panel by panel, and then explains the choices behind it.
The Problem the Brochure Addresses
Heart and blood vessel disease kills more American women than any other cause, and women with a heart attack have historically been treated less aggressively than men (Mehta et al., 2016). Delay in seeking care is part of that story. In a study of more than 2,000 women aged 18 to 55 hospitalized for heart attack, women were more likely than men to think their symptoms came from stress or anxiety, and more than half of those who had seen a clinician for similar symptoms earlier said the clinician did not think the problem was the heart (Lichtman et al., 2018). A brochure cannot fix clinical practice, but it can change what a woman thinks when her own symptoms begin.
Panel 1: Cover
Could this be a heart attack? What women should know and do. A plain photo of a woman in her fifties at a kitchen table, one hand on her chest. The health center's name and phone number at the bottom.
Panel 2: The Most Common Sign
Pressure, squeezing, tightness or pain in the center of the chest. It may last more than a few minutes or go away and come back. It is the most common heart attack sign for women and for men. Do not wait for it to be crushing.
Panel 3: Other Signs Women Often Feel
Shortness of breath. Nausea or vomiting. Pain or discomfort in the jaw, neck, back, shoulders or one or both arms. Breaking out in a cold sweat. Feeling unusually tired or lightheaded. Some women feel several of these at once, with or without chest pain.
Panel 4: Why Women Wait
"It is just stress." "I do not want to bother anyone." "I will see how I feel in the morning." "I already went to the doctor and they said it was nothing." If you notice these thoughts while you have the signs, treat them as a reason to act, not a reason to wait.
Panel 5: What to Do Right Now
Call 911. Do not drive yourself. Unlock the door and sit down. Tell the dispatcher your symptoms and when they started. Emergency crews can start treatment on the way and alert the hospital. Every minute of delay allows more heart muscle to be damaged.
Panel 6: Back Panel
Know your risks and talk to us about them: high blood pressure, diabetes, smoking, high cholesterol, family history of early heart disease, and conditions such as preeclampsia during pregnancy or early menopause. Bring this brochure to your next visit and ask: What is my risk of heart disease? What should I watch for? Space for the patient to write her clinician's answers. Health center address, hours and phone number; the line "In an emergency, call 911" repeated.
Why One Action
The brochure gives one instruction, call 911, and repeats it, because a reader with symptoms will remember one thing, not six. Other possible messages, such as healthy eating or exercise, belong in a separate piece. Mixing prevention advice with emergency action would dilute the one thing a reader must remember when symptoms begin.
Reading Level and Wording
The draft text was written with short sentences and common words and tested at about a sixth-grade reading level. Medical terms such as myocardial infarction and angina were left out. Panel 4 uses the actual words women use, drawn from interviews with patients at the center, because readers recognize their own thoughts more easily than a list of barriers.
Applying a Clear Communication Tool
The draft was scored with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Clear Communication Index, a set of 20 scored items covering the main message, the call to action, the language and the use of numbers. In testing, materials revised with the index were rated clearer than the originals by readers of every education level (Baur & Prue, 2014). The first draft scored low because it opened with a mortality statistic on the cover and never said what to do until the last panel. Moving the question to the cover and the action to the center panel raised the score.
Use of Numbers
The brochure contains no percentages. Research numbers support the rationale and the staff training, but a frightened reader at night needs signs and an action, not odds.
Layout and Images
Headings on each panel are questions or short commands. Each panel has no more than six lines, with space between them. The cover photo shows a woman of about the age of most of the center's patients at risk, in an everyday setting rather than a hospital, because the decision to call happens at home.
Language Access
About one in four patients at the center prefers Spanish. The brochure will be translated by a qualified translator and reviewed by two bilingual staff members and two patients, rather than produced by machine translation.
Distribution
Copies will go in exam rooms, the pharmacy pickup area and the women's health waiting room. Clinicians will hand a copy to every woman over 45 with two or more risk factors at her annual visit and point to Panel 5.
Testing Before Printing
Eight patients will read the draft and then answer two questions: What should you do if you have these signs? Name three signs besides chest pain. The brochure will be revised until at least seven of eight answer both correctly.
Evaluation
The center will track how many brochures are handed out and, with the regional hospital, the time from symptom onset to arrival among its patients admitted for heart attack, compared with the previous year.
Conclusion
The brochure answers a specific problem: women at the center waited because their symptoms did not match what they expected or because they explained them away. It keeps chest pressure first, adds the other signs women often feel, names the thoughts that cause delay and gives one action. Tested wording, plain language and clear distribution turn a disease fact sheet into a tool for faster care.
References
Baur, C., & Prue, C. (2014). The CDC Clear Communication Index is a new evidence-based tool to prepare and review health information. Health Promotion Practice, 15(5), 629-637. https://doi.org/10.1177/1524839914538969
Lichtman, J. H., Leifheit, E. C., Safdar, B., Bao, H., Krumholz, H. M., Lorenze, N. P., Daneshvar, M., Spertus, J. A., & D'Onofrio, G. (2018). Sex differences in the presentation and perception of symptoms among young patients with myocardial infarction: Evidence from the VIRGO study (Variation in Recovery: Role of Gender on Outcomes of Young AMI Patients). Circulation, 137(8), 781-790. https://doi.org/10.1161/CIRCULATIONAHA.117.031650
Mehta, L. S., Beckie, T. M., DeVon, H. A., Grines, C. L., Krumholz, H. M., Johnson, M. N., Lindley, K. J., Vaccarino, V., Wang, T. Y., Watson, K. E., & Wenger, N. K. (2016). Acute myocardial infarction in women: A scientific statement from the American Heart Association. Circulation, 133(9), 916-947. https://doi.org/10.1161/CIR.0000000000000351
What the HCS 245 Week 4 instructions ask
HCS 245 Week 4 commonly asks for a health promotion brochure, pamphlet or fact sheet about a disease often seen in health care settings. Students pick a condition, describe its signs, risk factors and prevention in language patients understand and explain what a reader should do. Many instructors also ask for a short written rationale or reference page so the sources behind the brochure are clear. The audience is usually the public or a specific patient group, not clinicians. A tri-fold layout of six panels is common, though some sections accept a one-page flyer. Strong submissions choose one clear action for the reader, write at a plain reading level, get the clinical facts right and show why the design suits the audience.
How this HCS 245 Week 4 example is built
The paper opens with the problem the brochure answers: women at the health center who waited hours before calling for help because their symptoms did not match the picture they expected. The brochure text follows panel by panel. The cover asks a question rather than stating a statistic. The inside panels list the common symptoms, starting with chest pressure, then the additional symptoms women report more often, then the thoughts that cause delay, then the first minutes of action. The back panel lists risk factors the reader can discuss with her clinician. The rationale explains the reading level, the order of information, the choice of one action, calling 911, and how the brochure will be tested with patients.
HCS 245 Week 4 grading rubric: where the points go
In the brochure week, faculty usually weigh accuracy first, then how well the piece fits its readers. Points go to correct information about the disease, its signs and its risk factors, drawn from current authoritative sources. The brochure should state a clear action and avoid jargon. Visual organization, headings and white space count because a brochure that is hard to scan will not be read. The rationale or reference page earns credit when it explains design choices and cites the evidence. Grammar, mechanics and APA citations complete the assessment. Pieces that copy a clinical textbook, pack six topics into six panels or give no instruction on what to do usually fall short of work built around one message.
HCS 245 Week 4 help: mistakes to avoid
Many HCS 245 Week 4 brochures fail because they try to teach everything about a disease. Pick the one decision the reader must make and build the panels around it. Check the reading level with a free tool and cut long words, since most patients read below high school level. Avoid scaring readers with statistics they cannot use; put numbers only where they support the action. Make sure every clinical statement matches a current source, because outdated advice about symptoms or aspirin is common online. Use headings as questions the reader would ask. Leave room; crowded panels look official but go unread. Finally, cite the sources in APA on a separate page even when the brochure itself carries none.
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HCS 245 Week 4 questions, answered
What does HCS/245 Week 4 usually ask for?
Many sections ask for a patient brochure or fact sheet on a common disease that explains signs, risk factors and prevention in plain language, often with a short rationale or reference page.
Where can I find a free HCS 245 Week 4 sample paper?
This page carries a complete women's heart attack brochure with its rationale, open to anyone, and short side comments tie each panel to the evidence. Send your own topic and we will write the first brochure at no cost.
Do women have different heart attack symptoms than men?
Chest pain or pressure is the most common symptom in both, but women more often report additional symptoms such as shortness of breath, nausea and pain in the jaw, neck, back or arms.
What reading level should a patient brochure use?
Most health literacy guidance suggests writing at about a sixth- to eighth-grade level, with short sentences, common words and one main message.
How many panels does a tri-fold brochure have?
A standard tri-fold sheet has six panels, three on each side: a cover, a back panel and four inside or flap panels for the main content.
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