NCT03592628

Enhancing Postpartum Discharge Instructions

Enhancing Postpartum Discharge Instructions for Cesarean Incision Care With Assessment of Comprehension: A Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial

• Status: Completed
• Phase: N/A
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 50 (actual)
• Sponsor: Thomas Jefferson University · Academic / Other
• Sex: Female
• Age: 18 Years – 50 Years
• Healthy volunteers: Accepted

Summary

Post-cesarean delivery discharge instructions are not currently at an appropriate health literacy level. Enhancing discharge instructions with a visual aid did not improve scores on comprehension quizzes, either immediately or two-weeks post-discharge. However, participants preferred to have access to visual images with discharge instructions.

Detailed description

Objective: To evaluate the effect of a visual aid on improving comprehension of hospital discharge instructions for cesarean wound care. Methods: A randomized control trial with a 1:1 allocation ratio and an intention to treat analysis was performed at an urban, tertiary care center from June-November 2017. Fifty English-speaking patients ages 18-50 who had undergone a cesarean delivery were randomized to receive either standard or enhanced discharge instructions regarding post-cesarean incision care. Enhanced instructions included a visual aid not present in the standard instructions. Participants completed a comprehension quiz prior to hospital discharge and again 2 weeks after discharge as well as the REALM literacy assessment prior to discharge.

Conditions

• Health Literacy
• Randomized Controlled Trial
• Postpartum
• Cesarean Delivery Affecting Newborn

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
OTHER	Visual Aid	The visual aid was a one-sheet diagram with illustrations of important features of post-cesarean wound care.
OTHER	Standard Instructions	Standard discharge instructions WITHOUT supplement of visual aid.

Timeline

• Start date: 2017-06-01
• Primary completion: 2017-11-30
• Completion: 2018-07-03
• First posted: 2018-07-19
• Last updated: 2018-07-19

Locations

1 site across 1 country: United States