Parents Reading Comprehension of Their Child's Post-Operative Medicine Fact Sheets

• Comprehension of the fact sheets as measured by the Cloze Readability Procedure. [ Time Frame: On the day of discharge ] [ Designated as safety issue: No ]
  

Other: easy to read fact sheets
easy to read fact sheets with illustrations and without illustrations
Other Name: patient education handouts

It is important for the child's welfare and comfort that the legal guardian can read and comprehend their child's pain medication information. Failure to understand the full implications of the medication may jeopardize the child's comfort level or welfare. Readability of printed education materials is a key to comprehension and supplements what healthcare providers verbally tell the parents/legal guardians. Several studies have demonstrated the benefits of using illustrations to convey intended messages. Simple line drawings appear to do well with those who have low-literacy skills.

The following hypothesis will be tested:

• There is no difference in level of comprehension of medication administration by the legal guardians who receive standard fact sheets about medication, those who receive easy-to-read fact sheets, and those who receive easy-to-read fact sheets accompanied by illustrations.
• There is no difference in level of comprehension of pain assessment by the legal guardians who receive standard fact sheets about assessing pain, those who receive easy-to-read fact sheets, and those who receive easy-to-read facts sheets accompanied by illustrations.
• There is no relationship between legal guardians' satisfaction with medication education and whether they receive standard fact sheets, easy-to-read fact sheets, or those who receive easy-to read fact sheets accompanied by illustrations.