Evaluation of the usefulness and understandability of information leaflets on fall prevention from the perspective of hospital patients and their relatives.

Abstract

Falls are a major problem among adults over 60 years. Multiple preventive measures must be taken. Written information leaflets can support the knowledge transfer and positively influence recall of the information provided. The aim was to ensure usefulness and understandability of the information leaflets on home fall prevention from the target groups' perspective. A cross-sectional survey study with a feedback questionnaire for patients and relatives was conducted at a university hospital in Austria. Quantitative data analysis and qualitative content analysis according to Schreier were performed. The majority (63.9%) of patients rated the overall impression as "very good". 44.2% of the relatives rated it as "very good" and 23% as "good". The question "appealing design" was the only one with a statistically significant difference between patients and relatives. Subgroup analysis has shown a statistically significant difference between educational groups regarding the questions "easy to read" and "easy to understand". It could be shown that the information leaflets were already well tailored to the target group. The few comments regarding understandability were considered to improve the content of the information leaflets. A further evaluation regarding the benefit of the fall prevention leaflets in discharge management should be performed.