Knowledge of Medical Terminology Among Clients and Families

Abstract

This descriptive correlational study replicated Byrne and Edeani's (1984) investigation of hospitalized clients' (N = 25) knowledge of 50 common medical terms. The present study also included 25 family members. The mean number of correct responses was 46 (of 50) with no difference between clients and families. Only nine terms were correctly understood by all respondents. Older persons with higher education and moderate length of illness had higher scores. Participants in the present study scored significantly higher than those in the prior research especially on terms related to breast cancer and heart disease. Clients and family members may not understand medical terms as well as nurses think they do and may need consistent assessment of knowledge in the context of patient teaching.

Assessing literacy for patient teaching: perspectives of adults with low literacy skills

“…fully underepresented in patient teaching and adult basic education research. Those studies which discuss this point As Spees (1991) argues, possessing knowledge, and understanding instructions is a necessary step in enabling of view at all are related to reading assessment in educational settings. Given the paucity of information on the compliance.…”

Developing, Implementing, and Evaluating a Handbook for Parents of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology Patients

“…The evaluations were distributed and collected during a 3-week period. Fifty questionnaires were distributed and 31 completed forms Mean Scores for Likert-type Items Notes: N = 31; Scores range from Strongly Disagree (1) to Strongly Agree (5).…”

“…THE EDUCATIONAL NEEDS of the parent i whose child has cancer and of the patient are well documented.1-4 The physical and emotional care information that the parent and patient must absorb is quite extensive. When the parent is in a state of crisis over the cancer diagnosis, the extensive and detailed information can seem overwhelming.1 Nurses invest considerable time assuring that patients and their families understand the home care needs of a pediatric oncology patient and that they can identify emergency .situations.I, 5 Additionally, nurses are involved in teaching children and their families strategies for coping with procedural distress.6 The purpose of this article is to describe how a handbook to teach families about the child with cancer or a blood disorder was developed, implemented, and evaluated.…”

Pediatric Cardiac Surgery Parent Education Discharge Instruction (PEDI) Program

“…Investigations in developed countries have revealed that ineffective physician–patient communication can be associated with medication mismanagement. 2 -4 This may be due in part to a lack of formal training for physicians on patient education. 2 -4 Typically, when busy physicians counsel patients at the time of discharge, they impart a lot of information in a short time, may use medical jargon, overestimate patients’ comprehension, and do not allow enough time for questions.…”