Developing a visual aid to improve women's knowledge of hysterectomy

Picture this: Evaluating the efficacy of genetic counseling visual aids

Visual aids have been validated as effective tools for educating patients in a variety of medical settings. However, research exploring the efficacy and potential benefit of genetic counseling visual aids is lacking. To begin to address this gap, this study assessed participant knowledge of genetic counseling concepts after viewing either visual or non-visual educational content. Participants were recruited from the general population using the crowdsourcing platform Mechanical Turk. Wilcoxon rank-sum tests were carried out to evaluate differences in knowledge survey scores between the visual and non-visual groups, and Poisson regression models were fitted to evaluate these differences across a variety of demographic backgrounds. The visual group had equal or higher scores than the non-visual group across all analyses. The difference in group scores was statistically significant for autosomal recessive inheritance knowledge scores (p < 0.05). In addition, this difference was approaching significance for higher-level knowledge scores (p = 0.05) and total knowledge scores in individuals who have not completed post-secondary education (p = 0.05). These results indicate that visual aids improve knowledge of specific genetic counseling concepts such as inheritance patterns; the education of which is often integral to genetic counseling. These results also indicate that visual aids may facilitate a deeper understanding of genetic counseling concepts and may be particularly valuable for individuals with lower educational backgrounds. Together, the results of this study support the inclusion of visual aids in genetic counseling education to help improve patient understanding and the accessibility of genetic healthcare information.

Patient evaluation of gynaecological information provision and preferences

AIM

To evaluate gynaecological patients' preferences and satisfaction regarding information provision, exploring enablers and barriers to information access.

DESIGN

A descriptive cross-sectional survey design was used.

METHODS

A total of 293 women accessing gynaecological services responded to the survey. Quantitative analysis included descriptive and inferential statistics. Content analysis was conducted on qualitative data.

RESULTS

Health professionals were the most common and preferred sources of gynaecological health information. Enablers to information provision included positive communication strategies by health professionals, participants having prior knowledge and doing their own research. Despite its widespread availability, only 24.2% of women preferred the internet as an information source. Poor communication and inadequate information provision were identified as barriers to information access. Statistically significant associations were identified between location of residence, education level, year of birth, diagnostic group and health information preferences. Recommendations from women included improved communication strategies, system changes and provision of individualized information.

CONCLUSION

Health professionals are central to women accessing information about gynaecological diagnoses. Areas for improvement include communication strategies, facilitating access to internet-based resources for information and consideration of women's preferences when providing health information.

IMPLICATIONS FOR THE PROFESSION AND PATIENT CARE

Consumer co-design of gynaecological health information and communication training for health professionals is recommended. Improved communication and facilitated use of internet-based resources may improve women's understanding of information.

IMPACT

This study explored gynaecological patients' preferences and satisfaction regarding information provision, exploring enablers and barriers to information access. It was found that gynaecological patients preferred individualized information provided to them directly by health professionals and despite its widespread availability, the internet is an underutilized health information resource. These findings are applicable to health professionals and patients utilizing tertiary gynaecological health services in Australia but may be generalized if demographic data aligns with other jurisdictions.

REPORTING METHOD

The STROBE reporting method was used in the preparation of the manuscript.

PATIENT OR PUBLIC CONTRIBUTION

No patient or public contribution.