Researchers compared 519 surgical patients who were given preoperative medication instructions verbally and 531 patients who were given a medication instruction sheet, which was verbally reviewed. The instruction sheet, which included multicolored graphics, listed all medications the patient was to take the day of the surgery and the medication that could be taken as needed.
Of the patients who received the sheet, 70 percent were compliant with their day-of medication instructions, compared to just 60 percent of patients in the control group.
“Physician anesthesiologists and nurse practitioners typically deliver a lot of verbal information to patients preoperatively, often exceeding patients’ short-term memory,” said Thomas Vetter, MD, the study’s lead author, in a news release. “Our findings show that providing patients with a standardized instruction sheet, both written and verbally, with simple language can improve compliance significantly.”
