Skip to main content
Canadian Family Physician logoLink to Canadian Family Physician
. 1997 Jan;43:58–62.

Innovative system to improve use of patient education materials.

J L Smith 1, C Levitt 1, E D Franco 1
PMCID: PMC2255168  PMID: 9626424

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate a new storage system for patient education materials. DESIGN: Anonymous surveys before and after implementation of new storage system. SETTING: Family medicine residency teaching centre. PARTICIPANTS: All nurses, staff doctors, and first- and second-year residents in the unit. INTERVENTIONS: Implementation of a new storage system for patient education materials, orientation of all health professionals in the unit to the new system, and periodic distribution of patient education newsletters. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Self-reported use of patient education materials. RESULTS: Response rates were 73% (30 of 41 health professionals) in 1990 and 86% (36 of 42) in 1992. Responses to the first survey on use of 20 categories of patient education materials showed materials were seldom used by most respondents. Back Care, Nutrition, Diabetes, VD/Birth Control, and Pregnancy categories were the most frequently used. In the second survey, more respondents reported using these five categories of pamphlets. Rates of use varied only slightly for the remaining 15 categories. CONCLUSIONS: Health professionals reported more frequent use of certain patient education materials following implementation of a new storage system.

Full text

PDF
61

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. Colcher I. S., Bass J. W. Penicillin treatment of streptococcal pharyngitis. A comparison of schedules and the role of specific counseling. JAMA. 1972 Nov 6;222(6):657–659. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Ellis D. A., Hopkin J. M., Leitch A. G., Crofton J. "Doctors' orders": controlled trial of supplementary, written information for patients. Br Med J. 1979 Feb 17;1(6161):456–456. doi: 10.1136/bmj.1.6161.456. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Gibbs S., Waters W. E., George C. F. The benefits of prescription information leaflets (1). Br J Clin Pharmacol. 1989 Jun;27(6):723–739. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2125.1989.tb03434.x. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Gibbs S., Waters W. E., George C. F. The benefits of prescription information leaflets (2). Br J Clin Pharmacol. 1989 Sep;28(3):345–351. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2125.1989.tb05436.x. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Ley P., Jain V. K., Skilbeck C. E. A method for decreasing patients' medication errors. Psychol Med. 1976 Nov;6(4):599–601. doi: 10.1017/s0033291700018237. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Sackett D. L., Haynes R. B., Gibson E. S., Hackett B. C., Taylor D. W., Roberts R. S., Johnson A. L. Randomised clinical trial of strategies for improving medication compliance in primary hypertension. Lancet. 1975 May 31;1(7918):1205–1207. doi: 10.1016/s0140-6736(75)92192-3. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Young F. K., Brooks B. R. Patient teaching manuals improve retention of treatment information--a controlled clinical trial in multiple sclerosis. J Neurosci Nurs. 1986 Feb;18(1):26–28. doi: 10.1097/01376517-198602000-00008. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from Canadian Family Physician are provided here courtesy of College of Family Physicians of Canada

RESOURCES