OBJECTIVE: To study the effectiveness of visual illustrations in improving people's understanding of the preventive aim of flexible sigmoidoscopy (FS) screening. METHODS: Three-hundred and eighteen people aged 60-64 were offered an appointment to attend FS screening and randomly allocated to receive either written information alone or written information plus illustrations. The illustrations showed the adenoma-carcinoma sequence and how it can be interrupted by removing polyps found during FS. Telephone interviews were conducted with a randomly selected sub-set of people prior to their screening appointment to assess their knowledge and understanding of the test (n=65). The interviews were tape-recorded, transcribed and content analysed by researchers blind to the condition people had been allocated to. RESULTS: In the written information only group, 57% understood that the test was looking for polyps rather than just cancer, whilst in the group who received written information and illustrations, 84% understood this. Logistic regression analyses confirmed that addition of illustrations resulted in significantly better understanding (OR=3.75; CI: 1.16-12.09; p=0.027), and this remained significant controlling for age, gender and Townsend scores (an area-based measure of deprivation) (OR=10.85; CI: 1.72-68.43; p=0.01). CONCLUSION: Illustrations improved understanding of the preventive aim of FS screening. PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS: Pictoral illustrations could be used to facilitate patient understanding of screening.
OBJECTIVE: To study the effectiveness of visual illustrations in improving people's understanding of the preventive aim of flexible sigmoidoscopy (FS) screening. METHODS: Three-hundred and eighteen people aged 60-64 were offered an appointment to attend FS screening and randomly allocated to receive either written information alone or written information plus illustrations. The illustrations showed the adenoma-carcinoma sequence and how it can be interrupted by removing polyps found during FS. Telephone interviews were conducted with a randomly selected sub-set of people prior to their screening appointment to assess their knowledge and understanding of the test (n=65). The interviews were tape-recorded, transcribed and content analysed by researchers blind to the condition people had been allocated to. RESULTS: In the written information only group, 57% understood that the test was looking for polyps rather than just cancer, whilst in the group who received written information and illustrations, 84% understood this. Logistic regression analyses confirmed that addition of illustrations resulted in significantly better understanding (OR=3.75; CI: 1.16-12.09; p=0.027), and this remained significant controlling for age, gender and Townsend scores (an area-based measure of deprivation) (OR=10.85; CI: 1.72-68.43; p=0.01). CONCLUSION: Illustrations improved understanding of the preventive aim of FS screening. PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS: Pictoral illustrations could be used to facilitate patient understanding of screening.
Authors: Christian Keinki; Richard Zowalla; Martin Wiesner; Marie Jolin Koester; Jutta Huebner Journal: J Cancer Educ Date: 2018-06 Impact factor: 2.037
Authors: Hannah Brotherstone; Maggie Vance; Robert Edwards; Anne Miles; Kathryn A Robb; Ruth E C Evans; Jane Wardle; Wendy Atkin Journal: J Med Screen Date: 2007 Impact factor: 2.136
Authors: Danielle Schubbe; Sarah Cohen; Renata W Yen; Maria Vd Muijsenbergh; Peter Scalia; Catherine H Saunders; Marie-Anne Durand Journal: BMJ Open Date: 2018-08-13 Impact factor: 2.692