Do humorous preoperative teaching strategies work?
Incorporating humor into preoperative teaching may improve patients' ability to recall pertinent instruction. This article describes a study in which an experimental, two-group, pretest/posttest design was used to determine whether there was a significant difference in the amount of knowledge patients recalled after receiving a teaching booklet either with (i.e., experimental) or without (i.e., control) humor. The sample included 50 patients undergoing open-heart surgery. Results indicate that there was no significant difference (F1, 48 = .07, P > .05) between the groups in the amount of knowledge gained related to postoperative pulmonary exercises. Both groups, however, had a statistically significant increase in the amount of knowledge gained from pretest to posttest (F1, 48 = 39.16, P < .05). Before humorous teaching strategies can be recommended for use in preoperative teaching, further research about the relationship between preoperative instruction, humor, and knowledge retention is necessary.
Schrecengost
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Gynecology Surgery Program, James A, Haley Veterans Affairs Hospital, Tampa, Fla., USA.
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001945:Breathing Exercises; D001026:Coronary Artery Bypass / Q000451:nursing / Q000534:rehabilitation; D005431:Florida; D006801:Humans; D019359:Knowledge; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010174:Pamphlets; D010353:Patient Education as Topic / Q000379:methods* / Q000592:standards; D013527:Perioperative Nursing / Q000379:methods*; D011300:Preoperative Care; D014925:Wit and Humor as Topic / Q000523:psychology