Patient comprehension of gastroenterology (GI) educational materials

The purpose of this study was to describe patient comprehension of discharge instruction materials used by one gastroenterology department. Two conceptual frameworks, Orem's self-care model of nursing and Klare's reading comprehension model, were used to guide research design and to explain study findings. A descriptive correlational design was used to explore the relationship between years of schooling, word recognition, and reading comprehension. The study participants (n = 30) included 10 male and 20 female patients. Mean years of schooling was post-high school; mean word recognition score was high school level. Findings included moderate correlation between years of schooling and word recognition scores (r = .64) and strong correlation between word recognition and reading comprehension scores (r = .77-.82). Reading comprehension scores for the majority of participants (60%) were at the frustration comprehension level. Findings suggest that word recognition ability and educational level may be insufficient to ensure comprehension.