Preparation, validation and user-testing of pictogram-based patient information leaflets for tuberculosis

Patient education is of paramount importance with regard to the condition of the disease and the treatment given besides lifestyle remodelling in order to get the desired therapeutic outcomes. When verbal information is provided to the patients, they often tend to forget it. Pictorial aids or pictograms, as they are commonly known, are tools that are widely used for imparting knowledge to the patients. The aim of the study is to prepare and validate a Pictogram-based Patient Information Leaflet (P-PILs) on Tuberculosis (TB).

P-PILs have been prepared from tertiary, secondary and primary sources. The knowledge-based questions are prepared with respect to the P-PILs. The baseline knowledge of the volunteers and patients has been analyzed before administering the P-PILs by using the validated questionnaire. The post-knowledge of the volunteers and patients has been analyzed after administering the P-PILs (20 minutes) by using the same questionnaire and the user-opinion has also been obtained at the end.

The study results show that the mean scores of the overall user-testing knowledge assessment are found to have improved significantly from the pre-P-PILs administration score of 62.67 to the post-P-PILs administration score of 91. The overall user-opinion about the P-PILs has been found to be good (75%) followed by average (25%).

The present study shows that there is significant improvement in the knowledge levels of the patients and volunteers after reading the validated leaflets. The P-PILs are found to be an effective educational tool for TB patients.