Paper
Friday, July 23, 2004
10:00 AM - 10:30 AM
Friday, July 23, 2004
3:00 PM - 3:30 PM
This presentation is part of : Posters II
Empowering Surgical Patients With Information
Katja Heikkinen, RN, MNSc, Sanna Salanterä, RN, PhD, Kirsi Johansson, RN, MNSc, Anne Kuusisto, RN, MNSc, and Heli Virtanen, RN, MNSc. Department of Nursing, University of Turku, Turku, Finland, Finland
Purpose: There is a lack of systematic evaluation of the effectiveness of patient education. In this study, the theoretical framework consist of the idea of empowering patient by education. The objective is to describe patient information needs at admission and to compare them to received information at discharge in relation to the length of the hospital stay. The ultimate goal is to systematize the patient education and to optimatize the time used.

Data: Data were collected by two questionnaires. The dimensions of scales consisted of bio-physiological (symptoms, investigations and treatment), functional (how to manage in everyday life), experiential (feelings, previous hospital experiences), ethical (participation, rights, responsibility and confidential issues), social-community (knowledge of relatives, support) and financial (different expenditure). The convenience sample consisted of 237 surgical patients, aged 16–84 (mean 53; sd 17), most (64 %) were men. Majority (70 %) had a professional qualification. The length of the hospital stay ranged 1 to 30 days.

Results: The main information needs were in bio-physiological (mean 1,29; sd 0,41), functional (mean 1,51; sd 0,50) and ethical (mean 1,62; sd 0,53). Least information was needed in social dimension (mean 1,83; the 1–4 scale; sd 0,63). Mostly information was received of bio-physiological (mean 1,59; sd 0,55), functional (mean 1,74; sd 0,67) and experiential (mean 2,05; sd 0,91) dimensions. Least in economical dimension (mean 2,46; sd 0,95).

Results of the meaning of the length of the hospital stay are available by congress in July 2004.

Conclusions: There seems to be problems in the fulfillment of information needs. For empowering the patients, there should not to be a gap between the needs and fulfillment.

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Sigma Theta Tau International
July 22-24, 2004