Neurology Inpatient Clinical Education Trial

Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center50 enrolled

Overview

The objective of this study is to compare the effectiveness of a personalized patient education program to the current hospital education and evaluate its impact using patient satisfaction scores. The investigators hypothesize that a personalized patient education intervention will increase patient's understanding of their diagnosis and satisfaction with the care as reflected in the survey results.

Study Type

INTERVENTIONAL

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

HEALTH_SERVICES_RESEARCH

Masking

SINGLE

Enrollment

Conditions

Myasthenia Gravis Guillain-Barre Syndrome Multiple Sclerosis Seizures Parkinsonism Meningitis

Interventions

Current standard discharge educational interventionBEHAVIORAL

The patients will receive the current hospital standard discharge educational material which explains the diagnosis, new medications, follow up and any activity/diet restrictions. A member of the study team will explain this material to the patient and answer any questions.

Personalized discharge educational interventionBEHAVIORAL

The patients will receive a new personalized discharge educational material which will explain the specifics of their disorder, the treatment, and prognosis. The materials will contain simple, organized explanations and graphics. A member of the study team will explain this material to the patient and answer any questions.

Eligibility

Sex: ALLMin age: 18 YearsMax age: 95 Years

Medical Language ↔ Plain English

Inclusion Criteria: * Over the age of 18 * Must have the capacity to consent and understand the study related activities and education materials. Exclusion Criteria: * Under the age of 18 * Have a condition that impairs the ability to understand the study, its risks, and appropriately consent for the study

Outcomes

Primary Outcomes

Patient satisfaction scores

The patients will answer a survey consisting of seven multiple-choice questions regarding their perception of the education intervention. Each questions will be scored on a scale of one to four for a total possible score of 28 for all 7 questions. A score of 1 indicates a negative perception of the education whereas 4 indicates the most positive impression. Therefore the lowest possible score is 7 for a severely negative perception of the education and the highest score is 28 for a very positive impression of the education program. Only the total scores will be compared for statistical analysis. Scores from patients in the current standard and new personalized education intervention groups will be compared.

Time frame: Subjects will be expected to mail the feedback forms within 2 weeks of discharge. Investigators will mail a single reminder prepaid return mail with a copy of the questionnaire to patients who do not respond within this time allowing 1 month total time.