Learning needs of hospitalized veteran patients: developing a tool for practice

Area of Science:

• Health Education
• Patient Assessment
• Psychometrics

Background:

• Identifying patient learning needs is crucial for effective health education.
• Existing tools may not adequately capture the breadth of Veteran patients' educational requirements.
• A practical, staff-administered tool is needed for assessing these needs.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and validate the Perceived Health Education Needs Scale (PHENS).
• To create a tool for easy administration by healthcare staff.
• To identify Veteran patients' perceived learning needs in health education.

Main Methods:

• Literature review and expert panel (modified Delphi Method) for initial development.
• Pilot testing with select patients.
• Two-phase study involving 200 Veteran patient interviews each at a Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center.
• Internal consistency analysis and exploratory factor analysis.

Main Results:

• The Perceived Health Education Needs Scale demonstrated strong internal consistency in both study phases.
• Exploratory factor analysis indicated a single dominant factor related to health.
• Veteran patients reported a wide range of important educational needs, irrespective of current health issues.

Conclusions:

• The Perceived Health Education Needs Scale is a reliable and valid tool for assessing Veteran patients' health education needs.
• The scale effectively identifies a broad spectrum of learning requirements.
• Findings underscore the importance of addressing diverse educational needs for improved patient outcomes.