Pictograph-Based Discharge Instructions for Low-Literate Older Adults After Hip Replacement Surgery: Development and Validation

Abstract

Current forms of written text-based discharge instructions are not suitable for presenting lengthy, complex discharge home care actions, and are difficult for low-literate patients to follow precisely at home. The aims of this study were to develop and validate pictograph-based discharge instructions for older adults after hip replacement surgery. Once low-literacy text and pictographs were created, their appropriateness, accuracy, and relevance were reviewed and validated by five experts. The findings show that pictographs (i.e., simple line drawings showing explicit discharge care actions) using stick figures are well suited for presenting action-based discharge instructions. The experts perceived the pictographs as engaging and easy to understand. The pictograph-based approach can be an effective tool in developing health care instructions not only for patients with low-literate skills in acute health care settings, but also for immigrants and refugees who speak English as a second language and present significant communication challenges for health care providers.