Theophylline education: development and evaluation of teaching methods

Area of Science:

• Pharmacology
• Medical Education
• Patient Education

Background:

• Theophylline is a critical medication requiring patient understanding.
• Effective patient education strategies are essential for medication adherence and outcomes.
• The role of pharmacist involvement in patient education delivery needs further investigation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the impact of an audiovisual slide-tape program on patients' short-term knowledge of theophylline treatment.
• To determine if a pharmacist's presence during the educational session influences patient knowledge acquisition.

Main Methods:

• A randomized controlled study was conducted on three adult medicine units.
• Thirty-four patients were divided into two groups: one with a pharmacist present, one without.
• Patient knowledge was evaluated using pre- and post-educational program objective tests.

Main Results:

• Both groups showed statistically significant improvements in post-test scores compared to pre-test scores (p < 0.05).
• There was no significant difference in the mean score improvement between the group with the pharmacist present and the group without.
• Audiovisual patient education programs designed by pharmacists are effective regardless of pharmacist presence.

Conclusions:

• Audiovisual patient education programs can effectively enhance patient knowledge of theophylline treatment.
• Pharmacist presence during these educational sessions does not appear to significantly increase short-term knowledge gains.
• Pharmacist-designed educational materials can be utilized effectively even without direct pharmacist supervision during delivery.