Investigation the Suitability of Patient Education Pamphlets and Patient Satisfaction among Teaching Hospitals in 2015

Background: To make the best use of written information in education pamphlets, suitability criteria developed for instructional materials. Moreover, client satisfaction with the quality of written materials provided in hospitals for patients needs to be taken into account. Aim: Therefore, the present study aimed to assess the suitability of patient education pamphlets and patient satisfaction among teaching hospitals in Mashhad, Iran. Method: A total number of 542 patient education pamphlets developed in 11 teaching hospitals in Mashhad was collected via a census method and their suitability was investigated using Suitability Assessment of Materials (SAM) instrument. Subsequently, satisfaction with education pamphlets among 2820 hospitalized patients was evaluated using a questionnaire designed based on SAM instrument. The association between the suitability of the given pamphlets and patient satisfaction was also determined. Descriptive statistics and the Chi-square test were used to analyze the findings. Results: The results revealed that 33.3% and 66.7% of the given pamphlets fell into the superior and adequate categories in terms of suitability, respectively. With regard to the satisfaction level, 0.7%, 26.4%, and 72.9 % of the patients were poorly, fairly, and completely satisfied with the pamphlets, respectively. Moreover, the pamphlets rated the higher suitability by patients obtained the higher satisfaction scores. Implications for Practice: The results of this study indicated a need for reconsiderations in some suitability factors for the pamphlets. In this respect, the factors of cultural appropriateness as well as layout and typography rated as acceptable.