How best to use and evaluate Patient Information Leaflets given during a consultation: a systematic review of literature reviews.
In the past, several authors have attempted to review randomized clinical trials (RCT) evaluating the impact of Patient Information Leaflets (PILs) used during a consultation and draw some general conclusions. However, this proved difficult because the clinical situations, size and quality of RCTs were too heterogeneous to pool relevant data.



To overcome this 30-year stalemate, we performed a review of reviews and propose general recommendations and suggestions for improving the quality of PILs, how to use them and methods for evaluating them.



We searched five databases for reviews, systematic reviews and meta-analyses describing PILs. We drew general and condition-linked conclusions concerning the impact of PILs. Checklists summarize criteria for quality PILs, and ways of using and evaluating them.



Of 986 articles found, 24 reviews were pertinent; the five oldest considered the impact of PILs irrespective of the condition the patient consulted for; the 19 more recent ones mostly addressed precise clinical situations.



Whatever the clinical situation, PILs improve patients' knowledge and satisfaction. For acute conditions, in the short-term PILs also improve adherence to treatment. For chronic diseases, invasive procedures or screening situations, their impact on adherence varies depending on the context, how the PILs are given and the invasiveness of the intervention.



PILs are considered to be very useful, especially for acute conditions where the patient is the first to suffer from lack of information. We propose checklists for writing, designing, using and evaluating PILs in RCTs to enable comparisons between different studies.
TIMC-IMAG, University of Grenoble Alpes, Grenoble, France.|Groupe Hospitalier Mutualiste de Grenoble (GHM), Grenoble, France.
Mélanie
M
Sustersic
LIP/LPC2S, EA 4145, University of Grenoble Alpes, Grenoble, France.
Aurélie
A
Gauchet
Inserm CIC 1406, Grenoble Alpes University Hospital, Grenoble, France.
Alison
A
Foote
TIMC-IMAG, University of Grenoble Alpes, Grenoble, France.|Inserm CIC 1406, Grenoble Alpes University Hospital, Grenoble, France.
Jean-Luc
JL
Bosson
D000208:Acute Disease; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D010353:Patient Education as Topic / Q000379:methods*; D017060:Patient Satisfaction; D012017:Referral and Consultation
Patient Information Leaflet; adherence; compliance; consultation; patient's behaviour; patient's knowledge; patient's satisfaction
PLoS One. 2013 Aug 20;8(8):e71918
23977178
BMJ. 2002 Jan 12;324(7329):91-4
11786454
JAMA. 2002 Dec 11;288(22):2868-79
12472329
JAMA. 2005 Jun 22;293(24):3029-35
15972565
Psychooncology. 2008 Sep;17(9):857-68
18050149
J Clin Epidemiol. 2011 Mar;64(3):255-7; discussion 258-63
21144706
J Public Health (Oxf). 2006 Dec;28(4):309-17
17060352
J Eval Clin Pract. 2006 Feb;12(1):13-23
16422776
Health Technol Assess. 2007 Feb;11(5):iii, 1-160
17280623
BMJ. 2009 Feb 26;338:b541
19246544
Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2014 Apr 21;(4):CD008757
24752330
Rev Prat. 2008 Dec 15;58(19 Suppl):17-24
19253787
Health Expect. 2007 Mar;10(1):46-61
17324194
ANZ J Surg. 2006 Mar;76(3):139-41
16626351
Soc Sci Med. 2005 Nov;61(10):2252-64
15922501
J Adv Nurs. 1995 Jun;21(6):1081-6
7665771
Patient Educ Couns. 2010 Jul;80(1):94-9
19879711
J R Soc Med. 1990 May;83(5):298-300
2380944
J Cancer Educ. 2011 Mar;26(1):12-21
21161465
Health Expect. 2007 Sep;10(3):286-98
17678517
BMJ. 1998 Jun 27;316(7149):1948-52
9641933
Health Expect. 2004 Jun;7(2):165-75
15117391
Br J Psychiatry. 2005 Jul;187:76-82
15994575
J R Soc Med. 2008 Sep;101(9):447-53
18779246
PLoS One. 2007 Aug 08;2(8):e706
17684553
Arch Intern Med. 2009 Feb 23;169(4):364-71
19237720
J Public Health Med. 2001 Sep;23(3):227-34
11585196
Adv Med Educ Pract. 2014 May 08;5:141-7
24868181
Nurs Outlook. 1990 Nov-Dec;38(6):278-81
2235538
Health Educ Res. 2005 Aug;20(4):423-9
15572437
Am J Emerg Med. 2014 Jul;32(7):713-24
24768666
Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2009 Apr 15;(2):CD002104
19370575
Br J Gen Pract. 2002 Jun;52(479):483-4
12051214
Fam Pract. 1998 Oct;15(5):471-9
9848435
Pharm World Sci. 2006 Dec;28(6):329-41
17216295
Ann Fam Med. 2004 Sep-Oct;2(5):455-61
15506581
Spine (Phila Pa 1976). 2006 May 15;31(11):E326-34
16688023
Am J Public Health. 1979 Jan;69(1):47-52
105645
J Psychosoc Oncol. 2011;29(6):606-18
22035534
Health Educ Res. 2005 Jun;20(3):334-44
15494359
Contraception. 2013 May;87(5):674-84
23040136
BMC Med Inform Decis Mak. 2005 Jun 20;5:16
15963238
Health Expect. 2012 Sep;15(3):283-94
21332620
BMJ. 2009 Jul 29;339:b2885
19640941
BMJ Open. 2015 Jun 03;5(6):e007612
26041493
BMJ. 1999 Jan 30;318(7179):318-22
9924064
J Gen Intern Med. 2013 Jan;28(1):25-31
22829293