title: Expectations and received knowledge by surgical patients.
abstract: 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.
authors.affiliation: Department of Nursing Science, 20014 University of Turku, Finland. sirkku.rankinen@kolumbus.fi
authors.forename: Sirkku
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Rankinen
authors.forename: Sanna
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Salanterä
authors.forename: Katja
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Heikkinen
authors.forename: Kirsi
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Johansson
authors.forename: Anne
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kaljonen
authors.forename: Heli
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Virtanen
authors.forename: Helena
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Leino-Kilpi
mesh_terms: 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