Do our patients understand? A comparison of understanding in adult inpatients and schoolchildren.
OBJECTIVE
To test the assumption that if an explanation about a resuscitation policy is understood by a 12-year-old then it will be understood by an adult patient.


METHODS
The comprehension of a paragraph about resuscitation by inpatients was compared to the comprehension of the same paragraph by 12-year-old schoolchildren.


RESULTS
The schoolchildren demonstrated better comprehension of a paragraph about resuscitation than the inpatients (p = 0.02).


CONCLUSIONS
Schoolchildren, aged 12, in a classroom setting show better comprehension than adult medical and surgical inpatients. This has implications about giving information to patients and seeking consent from them. Persons giving information to patients need to ensure the patients have understood it.
Taylor
E M
EM
Department of Anaesthesia, Dunedin Hospital.
Ramsay
M P
MP
Bunton
L
L
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002648:Child; D003071:Cognition; D006801:Humans; D007258:Informed Consent; D007297:Inpatients / Q000523:psychology*; D008875:Middle Aged; D010353:Patient Education as Topic / Q000379:methods*; D012151:Resuscitation / Q000193:education*; D013334:Students / Q000523:psychology*