Improving patient understanding of preeclampsia: a randomized controlled trial.

OBJECTIVE We developed a standardized educational tool to inform women about preeclampsia. The objective of this study was to assess whether exposure to this tool led to superior understanding of the syndrome. STUDY DESIGN This was a randomized controlled trial in which 120 women were assigned to (1) a newly developed preeclampsia educational tool, (2) a standard pamphlet addressing preeclampsia that had been created by the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, or (3) no additional information. Preeclampsia knowledge was assessed with the use of a previously validated questionnaire. RESULTS There were no demographic differences among the groups. Patients who received the tool scored significantly better on the preeclampsia questionnaire than those who received the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists pamphlet or no additional information (71%, 63%, 49%, respectively; P < .05). This improved understanding was evident equally among women with and without adequate health literacy (interaction: P > .05). CONCLUSION Patients who were exposed to a graphics-based educational tool demonstrated superior preeclampsia-related knowledge, compared with those patients who were exposed to standard materials or no education.

[1]  Y. MacNab,et al.  Instituting Surveillance Guidelines and Adverse Outcomes in Preeclampsia , 2007, Obstetrics and gynecology.

[2]  A. Saftlas,et al.  Epidemiology of preeclampsia and eclampsia in the United States, 1979-1986. , 1990, American journal of obstetrics and gynecology.

[3]  Jerry Avorn,et al.  Medication Safety: Effect of Content and Format of Prescription Drug Labels on Readability, Understanding, and Medication Use: A Systematic Review , 2007, The Annals of pharmacotherapy.

[4]  Roger W. Morrell,et al.  Processing of Medical information in Aging Patients : Cognitive and Human Factors Perspectives , 1999 .

[5]  L. G. Doak,et al.  Teaching Patients With Low Literacy Skills , 1985 .

[6]  A. Cameron,et al.  The changing pattern of eclampsia over a 60‐year period , 1997, British journal of obstetrics and gynaecology.

[7]  J Golding,et al.  Strategies to prevent eclampsia in a developing country: II. Use of a maternal pictorial card , 2004, International journal of gynaecology and obstetrics: the official organ of the International Federation of Gynaecology and Obstetrics.

[8]  ACOG Practice Bulletin No. 33: Diagnosis and Management of Preeclampsia and Eclampsia , 2002 .

[9]  Dotun Ogunyemi,et al.  Is Eclampsia Preventable? A Case Control Review of Consecutive Cases from an Urban Underserved Region , 2004, Southern medical journal.

[10]  R. Dowse,et al.  The evaluation of pharmaceutical pictograms in a low-literate South African population. , 2001, Patient education and counseling.

[11]  William Grobman,et al.  Factors Associated with Patient Understanding of Preeclampsia , 2012, Hypertension in pregnancy.

[12]  T. Davis,et al.  Improving pregnancy drug warnings to promote patient comprehension. , 2011, American journal of obstetrics and gynecology.

[13]  Stacy Cooper Bailey,et al.  Improving prescription drug warnings to promote patient comprehension. , 2010, Archives of internal medicine.

[14]  D. Campbell,et al.  Is eclampsia preventable , 1980 .

[15]  Daniel G. Morrow,et al.  Designing Medication Instructions for Older Adults , 1993 .

[16]  D. Chestnut.  Maternal death in the 21st century: causes, prevention, and relationship to cesarean delivery , 2009 .

[17]  Denise C. Park,et al.  Media and memory: the efficacy of video and print materials for promoting patient education about asthma. , 2010, Patient education and counseling.

[18]  B. Weiss,et al.  Quick Assessment of Literacy in Primary Care: The Newest Vital Sign , 2005, The Annals of Family Medicine.

[19]  M. Wolf,et al.  Health literacy and functional health status among older adults. , 2005, Archives of internal medicine.