Providing Older Adults Experiencing Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia with an Education Booklet to Improve Health...

A common challenge in health education for older surgical patients is poor memory, which hinders the processing of health information. Structured educational materials have been shown to be effective in improving information retention, but there remains a paucity of materials specifically designed to address the cognitive and sensory characteristics of older adults.

To evaluate the effect of an adapted education booklet based on cognitive load theory and older adults' preferences on the memory of health information in older surgical adults experiencing benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH).

A randomized controlled trial was conducted at a tertiary hospital from January to February 2025. Sixty-four older adults scheduled for BPH surgery were randomly divided into an intervention group (n=32, using an adapted education booklet) and a control group (n=32, using conventional education materials). Both groups received standard perioperative education. Health information recall was evaluated using a standardized questionnaire on the day before discharge. Secondary outcomes included satisfaction with nursing care and the nurse's support for the booklet.

There were no differences between the two groups in terms of age, body mass index, educational attainment, monthly personal income, and length of hospital stay. Adults in the intervention group demonstrated superior recall of health information and nursing satisfaction compared to the control group (P < 0.001). Over 85% of nurses believed that the booklet did not increase their workload, improved nurse-adult communication, and expressed support for its clinical application.

Adapting an education booklet based on cognitive load theory and older adult preferences can significantly improve health information recall and satisfaction among older adults experiencing BPH. High acceptance among nurses suggests that this intervention has potential for clinical application. This simple, easy-to-administer, and inexpensive method of patient education could be extended to other areas of geriatric surgical education.