Patient information booklets for Asian patients with ulcerative colitis

Our aim was to address the information requirements for ulcerative colitis patients from Asian ethnic minorities in Leicester city. We sought to determine if the information leaflets provided in English could be successfully employed when translated into the common South Asian languages. A postal survey determined the initial demand for information leaflets, offering the leaflet in English, Hindi, Gujarati or Punjabi. Follow up questionnaires were again by post and subsequently by telephone contact. All patients found the leaflets useful, but felt that doctors should do more to help with language problems. On reading the leaflets, sixty-six percent of patients experienced reduced levels of anxiety or no change, whereas thirty-three percent found increased levels of anxiety. Nearly two-thirds of patients felt there was insufficient or satisfactory information in the leaflets. The final response rate for returning the questionnaire was 53%. The leaflets were generally well received, but there may be a role for increased detail, which may in turn reduce anxiety levels. The low response rates highlight the difficulty of communication with this group, suggesting that we need to make more resources available to these patients.