Enhancing recall of information from a patient education booklet: a trial using cardiomyopathy patients

A quasi-experimental trial was conducted to compare the effect on informati on recall of: (a) the use of adjunct questions (AQ) in printed materials an d (b) a procedure (the 5Rs) for integrating printed patient education mater ials into face-to-face teaching. A total of 51 patients with severe left ve ntricular failure (cardiomyopathy) was assigned to one of three groups (n = 17). Each group worked with a purpose-prepared booklet, the first in assoc iation with the 5Rs procedure; the second group with a version of the bookl et containing adjunct questions; and the third with a text only version of the booklet. Recall of information from the booklet was measured using a ch ecklist scored on the basis of responses secured in a standardised intervie w. Improved recall was associated with both the adjunct questions and the 5 Rs procedure, with the latter achieving a substantially superior outcome. T he practical implications of these findings are presented and directions fo r further research indicated. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science Ireland Ltd. All ri ghts reserved.