Evaluation of written reinforcements used in counseling cardiovascular patients

The acceptance and effectiveness of medication cards and booklets for cardiovascular patients were evaluated. Approximately one month after discharge counseling which included the written reinforcements, 22 out of 50 patients discharged from cardiothoracic surgery and cardiovascular medicine units were questioned to assess patient usage of the medication cards/booklets and patient knowledge of their particular drugs. All patients except one indicated that they had read the material after leaving the hospital, and many had read it more than once. The effectiveness of the material was found to be only partially acceptable when general and specific medical questions were asked. The names and uses of most of the drugs taken by the patients were identified correctly.