Using Verbal Education to Improve Patient Medication

Knowledge at the Gloucester Mathews Care Clinic

Michelle Duesberry-Woody, RN
Bon Secours Memorial College of Nursing

Introduction

Discussion

Results
Medication instruction information
Patients who stated knowledge increase

Gloucester Mathews Care Clinic provides exceptional medical care to

the counties of Gloucester and Mathews. Many of the residents who
are serviced by the clinic have a low literacy level, and several are
illiterate. The goal was to increase patient knowledge of their
medications. This education was provided through a verbal teaching
method with an opportunity for patients to ask any questions that they
had regarding their medications.

Two themes seemed to emerge during this project. The first theme
was that many patients did not know why they were taking their
medications due to what appeared to be a lack of education. The
second theme was appreciation for the instruction. Patients stated
that they had previously received instruction, but this education
allowed time for questions as well.

Patients who stated no knowledge increase

40%

60%

Literature Review
There have been many studies on how to provide medication
education to individuals who are illiterate or have a low reading level.
Even though most adults read at an eighth grade level, and 20
percent of the population reads at or below a fifth-grade level, most
heath care materials are written at a tenth-grade level (Safeer &
Keenan, 2005, p. 463). These studies have utilized verbal education
and pictorial education to provide information to individuals who may
have difficulty understanding their medication inserts. The Mayo
Clinic had success with a verbal teach back method that the
physicians provided at discharge for their patients (Makaryus &
Friedman, 2005). Of the patients in the study, 37.2% were able to tell
the purpose of their medications after their teaching. In the pictorial
study there were a variety of outcomes, but none were as high as the
verbal study (Chuang, Lin, Wang, & Cham, 2010).

Methods
A medication resource sheet was created with the most prescribed
medications at the clinic and the most prescribed medications in the
U. S. that combined to make a total of fifty medications. This
resource was presented to the staff and volunteers of the clinic, and
they were instructed on how to utilize the resource. When patients
received the reminder call for their appointment, they were instructed
to bring any medication they were currently taking. This included any
prescription medications as well as any over-the-counter medications
they were currently taking. Patients were instructed to arrive fifteen
minutes early to their appointment, or they were able to stay after
their appointment to go over each of their medications. After patients
had received their instruction they were questioned about the
effectiveness of their instruction. The results were then recorded.

Conclusions

Lack of medication knowledge is a common problem for

many patients. With additional instruction patients can gain
the necessary knowledge to successfully understand their
medication plan. This can help them to be active
participants in their care. With continued use, this program
appears to be one that will be beneficial to the patients
serviced at the clinic.

The education was conducted for eight weeks. After each

educational session patients were asked if they felt as
though the education had improved their medication
knowledge. After nine weeks of instruction 121 patients
were questioned regarding their education. Of those
questioned approximately sixty percent, or 73 patients,
stated that the instruction had been helpful or that they had
learned something new regarding their medications.

Acknowledgements

Works Cited

Lou Taylor, RN- Director of Patient Services, Gloucester Mathews

Care Clinic
Janet Gomez-Director of Volunteer Resources, Gloucester
Mathews Care Clinic
Julie White, RN-Staff nurse
Lindsey Shoyer, RN-Staff nurse
Sunshine Albright, MA-Triage staff

Chuang, M., Lin, C., Wang, Y., & Cham, T. (2010, June). Development of
Pictographs Depicting Medication Use Instructions for Low-Literacy Medical
Clinic Ambulatory Patients [supplemental material]. Journal of Managed
Care Pharmacy, 16(5), 337-345. Retrieved from
http://www.amcp.org/data/jmcp/337-345.pdf
Makaryus, A., & Friedman, E. (2005, August). Patients Understanding of
Their Treatment Plans and Diagnosis at Discharge. Mayo Clinic
Proceedings, 80, 991-994. Retrieved from
http://internal.medicine.ufl.edu/files/2012/07/5.17.04.-Help-patientsunderstand-their-hospitalizations.pdf
Safeer, R., & Keenan, J. (2005, August 1). Health literacy: The gap
between physicians and patients. American Family Physician, 72(3), 463468. Retrieved from http://www.aafp.org/afp/2005/0801/p463.html