THE EFFECT OF ADJUNCT QUESTIONS ON OLDER ADULTS RECALL OF INFORMATIONFROM A PATIENT EDUCATION BOOKLET

The effect of adjunct questions on the amount of information retained from the reading of a patient education booklet was investigated exper imentally. Ninety older adults (mean age 77 years) were assigned rando mly to a treatment, treatment control or non-treatment control group, 30 in each. The treatment condition was established by having subjects spend 30 min with a booklet about post-operative eye care. The bookle t included four sets of review questions. The treatment control group spent the same period with a booklet which was identical apart from th e questions. Knowledge of eye care was measured using a checklist scor ed on the basis of responses secured in a standardised interview. Alth ough the two treatment groups decisively outperformed the control grou p on the measure, no effect attributable to the adjunct questions was detected. Factors which might account for this outcome are discussed. Directions for further research and implications for practice are indi cated.