Information needs of patients and visitors in a district general hospital

A survey of the information needs of patients and visitors to a large District General Hospital was conducted during a one-month period in 1988 to identify sources of information used by patients and their visitors, whether these sources were perceived as adequate and what improvements were suggested. The findings indicate that of 406 respondents, 37% had wanted to know more about a particular condition within the preceding 12 months. The most frequently used sources of information were general practitioners, hospital doctors and nurses, and written material. The most frequent inquires were about disease aetiology and prevention, and the treatment and prognosis of a wide range of medical conditions. Thirty-six per cent of the inquirers had received little or none of the information that they sought. Visitors were more likely than patients to be dissatisfied with presently available sources of information, and patients over 60 years old were more likely to be satisfied than younger groups. Dissatisified persons were most often seeking improved access to doctors and nurses, more explanations from these staff, and more readily available booklets and leaflets. The results are discussed in relation to previous findings with hospital in-patients. They support a stated need in the recent Government White Paper, Working For Patients, for patient information leaflets and for clear and sensitive explanations about what is happening to them in hospital.