Expectations and received knowledge by surgical patients.
OBJECTIVE
Here, the aim is to compare surgical patients' knowledge expectations at admission with the knowledge they received during their hospital stay.


METHODS
The study used a descriptive and comparative design.


METHODS
The study was conducted on surgical wards at one randomly selected university hospital in Finland.


METHODS
The sample (n = 237) consisted of surgical patients (traumatological, gastroenterological, urological and heart and thorax surgery) admitted to hospital during a 2-month period in 2003.


METHODS
The data were collected by two specially developed, parallel questionnaires: Hospital Patients' Knowledge Expectations and Hospital Patients' Received Knowledge. These 40-item instruments used a four-tier response scale and made a distinction between the bio-physiological, functional, experiential, ethical, social and financial dimensions of knowledge. The data were analysed statistically.


RESULTS
Surgical patients received less knowledge than they felt they expected on the bio-physiological, functional, experiential, ethical, social and financial dimensions. Their knowledge expectations and the knowledge they received were related to age, gender and level of basic education.


CONCLUSIONS
The results highlighted the need for improved patient education. Surgical patients expect to receive more knowledge than they actually receive on all dimensions. The most problematic areas in the education of surgical patients are the experiential, ethical, social and financial dimensions of knowledge. In particular, younger patients, female patients and patients with a higher level of education require more attention.
Rankinen
Sirkku
S
Department of Nursing Science, 20014 University of Turku, Finland. sirkku.rankinen@kolumbus.fi
Salanterä
Sanna
S
Heikkinen
Katja
K
Johansson
Kirsi
K
Kaljonen
Anne
A
Virtanen
Heli
H
Leino-Kilpi
Helena
H
D000046:Academic Medical Centers; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D005260:Female; D005387:Finland; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010353:Patient Education as Topic; D017060:Patient Satisfaction; D013503:Surgery Department, Hospital; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires