Chris Delp|J. Stephen Jones
Communicating Information to Patients: The Use of Cartoon Illustrations to Improve Comprehension of Instructions
Corewell Health Butterworth Hospital|Michigan State University|Corewell Health Butterworth Hospital|Michigan State University
evaluate effect cartoon illustrations patient comprehension compliance ed release instructionsa prospective randomized controlled study consecutive patients presented ed community teaching hospital lacerations necessitating wound repair threemonth study period ed release patients randomly assigned receive wound care instructions without cartoon illustrations three days later patients followed telephone blinded investigator asked series questions designed test patients recall understanding compliance wound care instructionsa total 234 patients successfully contacted telephone 105 45 given ed release instructions cartoons 129 55 without cartoons significant difference age gender level education satisfaction ed visit two groups patients given cartoon instructions likely read instructions 98 vs 79 p 0001 likely answer wound care questions correctly 46 vs 6 p 0001 compliant daily wound care 77 vs 54 p 001 subset analysis patients less high school education n 57 demonstrated even larger differences two treatment groups terms comprehension compliance ed release instructionscartoon illustrations effective strategy conveying information may improve patient compliance ed release instructions