Comprehension of discharge instructions

The Research to Practice column attempts to serve two purposes: (1) fine-tune the research critique skills of advanced practice nurses and (2) suggest strategies to translate findings from a research study into bedside practice. For each column, a topic and a particular research study are selected. The stage is set by introducing the importance of the topic. The research paper is then reviewed and critiqued, and finally, the implications for translation into practice are discussed. This particular column reviews the article: Engel, K., Heisler, M., Smith, D., Robinson, C., Forman, J., & Ubel, P. (in press). Patient comprehension of emergency department care and instructions: Are patients aware of when they do not understand? Annals of Emergency Medicine.