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Reliability, usability, and efficiency of video versus print instructions to teach parents a procedural task: A
Athena Mancini1,2, Gina Wong1,2, Denise Bastas1,2
1Division of Haematology/Oncology, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
Insights
A simplified print pamphlet was more reliable and efficient for parents measuring limb circumference than video instructions, though clinician measurement is still preferred for accuracy.
Area of Science:
- Medical Education
- Patient Education
- Health Informatics
Background:
- Parental involvement in managing pediatric conditions like deep vein thrombosis (DVT) is crucial.
- Accurate procedural measurements are essential for monitoring conditions such as post-thrombotic syndrome (PTS).
- Traditional print instructions may have limitations in clarity and ease of use for complex medical tasks.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare the effectiveness of video versus print instructions for teaching parents a procedural measurement task.
- To evaluate reliability, usability, and efficiency of different instructional formats.
- To determine the optimal method for empowering parents in home-based medical measurements.
Main Methods:
- A cross-sectional study involving 92 parents of children with DVT.
- Random assignment to three groups: video instructions, long print pamphlet, or short print pamphlet.
- Assessment of measurement reliability using intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) and usability via questionnaires.
Main Results:
- The short pamphlet demonstrated the highest reliability (ICC=.70) and efficiency.
- Video instructions yielded the highest usability but lower reliability (ICC=.17).
- The long pamphlet showed moderate reliability (ICC=.53).
Conclusions:
- Simplified print instructions are more reliable and efficient for parents performing procedural measurements compared to video.
- While videos offer better usability, print may be superior for accuracy in this context.
- Despite improved print instruction reliability, clinician-performed measurements remain the gold standard.
Objective:
To compare the reliability, usability, and efficiency of video versus print instructions to teach parents a procedural measurement task. We hypothesized that videos would outperform print in all outcomes.
Study Design:
This cross-sectional study included parents/caregivers of children aged 0-18 years with deep vein thrombosis attending the Thrombosis Clinic at The Hospital for Sick Children for post-thrombotic syndrome (PTS) assessment. Participants were randomly assigned to three instruction types: (i) video, which followed the technique used by clinicians; (ii) long pamphlet, which also followed the clinicians' technique; and (iii) short pamphlet, which explained a simplified technique. After measuring their children's arms or legs using the randomly assigned material, participants completed a usability questionnaire. The reliability of the instructions was estimated by comparing parents/caregivers versus clinicians' measurements using the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC). Reliability, usability, and efficiency (time to task completion) were compared among the three instruction types.
Results:
In total, 92 participants were randomized to video (n = 31), long pamphlet (n = 31), and short pamphlet (n = 30). While the video had the highest usability, the short pamphlet was the most reliable and efficient. ICCs were .17 (95% confidence interval [CI]: .00-.39) for the video, .53 (95% CI: .30-.72) for the long pamphlet, and .70 (95% CI: .50-.81) for the short pamphlet.
Conclusion:
Although the video had higher usability, the short/simplified print instruction was more reliable and efficient. However, the reliability of the short pamphlet was only moderate/good, suggesting that whenever possible, measurements should still be obtained by trained clinicians.
