<p>Development and Validation of an Information Leaflet on Oral Care for Irradiated Patients</p>

Abstract

The aim of the study was to develop an optimally designed and comprehensibly formulated patient information leaflet (PIL) to improve patients' memory of information provided by physicians during a radiotherapy (head and neck area) consultation. This PIL was tested on unaffected probands for its usefulness in clinical practice. Patients and Methods: A panel of experts compiled the main topics using Lawshe's content validity ratio. Flesch's Reading Ease Score (FRE) and the Baker Able Leaflet Design (BALD) index were adapted to appropriate values to determine text comprehensibility and graphic design. The evaluation involving unaffected participants (231 men, 380 women, 21 not specified; mean age = 32 ± 13.63 years, range = 18-79 years) was conducted based on three questionnaires for four groups of respondents with varying prior knowledge of the subject. When answering the questionnaires, only half the participants had access to the PIL. Results: The expert panel included 59 out of 75 proposed topics. After reformulations, the FRE was adjusted from 38.5 to 51.4. The BALD index ranged from 24 to 26, depending on the printout edition. The evaluation of 632 unaffected participants indicated a difference in the correctly answered items that ranged from 2.86% to 30.76% between participants with and without access to the PIL. Conclusion: The general guidelines for the design of written patient information material were met. The evaluation of unaffected volunteers resulted in an advantage by answering the questionnaires after receiving the PIL. This study supports health practitioners in the development, design, and evaluation of written information material using scientific methods. An evaluation should be performed on affected patients.

Health Education for Chronic Kidney Disease Patients Not on Dialysis Through the Pictorial Patient Information Leaflet

“…Providing written health information along with verbal information can positively influence information communication. 21 Written health education materials such as PILs allow patients to study at their speed, progressively assimilate health information, and communicate information with relevant others. Using these materials, such as PIL, is also considered a cost and time-efficient way to convey health information.…”

Development and Pilot-Testing of Key Questions to Identify Patients’ Difficulties in Medication Administration

“…[21][22][23][24][25] Furthermore, the development and evaluation of written patient information has already been described in the literature. [26][27][28] Therefore, we based the development process on the experiences made with a previously described approach to develop comprehensible patient leaflets, that combined desk-based and patient-centered measures 26 and, consequently, focused on the inclusion of the real-world users of such key questions, namely patients and health-care professionals.…”

Factors Influencing the Survival Rate of Teeth and Implants in Patients after Tumor Therapy to the Head and Neck Region—Part 1: Tooth Survival

“…Patients with removable dentures were advised not to wear them as often as possible to avoid mechanical injury to the vulnerable mucous membranes. Instructions on the handling of the radiation protection splints, oral hygiene, and nutrition during and after RT were provided to the patients in the form of brochures [ 17 , 18 ].…”