تاثير آموزش از طريق كتابچه بر ميزان آگاهي و عملكرد بيماران استيوپوروتيك

Efficacy of educational pamphlets for improvement of knowledge and practice in patients with osteoporosis

Objective(s): Osteoporosis is a common health related problem worldwide. About 50% of men and 70% of women aged 50 years and over suffer from osteoporosis or osteopenia in Iran, Patient education is of major value in prevention and management of osteoporosis complications. The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of educational pamphlets for improving knowledge and practice of patients with osteoporosis. Methods: Of 370 patients with osteoporosis referred to an osteoporosis clinic during a 5- months period (Feb to Jun 2003), a total of 339 entered into the study. For each patient a standardized questionnaire was completed at baseline to evaluate her or his knowledge and practice about osteoporosis. Then patients received an educational pamphlet containing osteoporosis related materials. Patients received no other educational interventions during the study period. After 4 weeks a posttest were carried out using the same questionnaire. Results of pre and posttests were compared. Results: The mean age of respondents was 46.05 ±12.8 years, mostly female (95.6%), and 71.7% were in middle educational level. Comparing pre and posttests revealed 24% increase in knowledge score (from 5.01±3.05 to 7.96±2.12) and 16% improvement in practice skills of patients (P<0.001 for both comparisons). Conclusion; Educational pamphlets are of limited efficacy for improvement in knowledge and practice of patients with osteoporosis and combination of different educational methods is required to obtain satisfactory results.