Chapter 8 132 The aim of this pilot study was to evaluate patient knowledge comprehension prior and post introduction of a novel computer-generated patient-tailored discharge document. 2. Methods 2.1 Study population The implementation of a novel computer-generated patient-tailored discharge document was evaluated in this prospective pre-post study performed at our center, a tertiary referral University Hospital in an urban area population of 1,015,000 inhabitants. From January to March 2016, all consecutive patients undergoing an invasive percutaneous diagnostic or therapeutic electrophysiological procedure who fulfilled the study criteria were included in this study. Patients were eligible if they were 18 years or older and fluent both in oral and written Dutch. Exclusion criteria were requiring an additional invasive procedure during the same admission or treatment other than a percutaneous electrophysiological procedure. The control group (group I) received standard discharge information and was included during the first six weeks of the study. The study group (group II) received the novel computer generated patient-tailored discharge information and document during the second period of six weeks. In both groups, patient relatives were preferably present when the discharge information was conveyed. One week post-discharge a peer-reviewed questionnaire was sent to both groups to evaluate their retention and comprehension of the provided discharge instructions, the clarity of the medication regimen, the recovery process, and finally the overall evaluation of the discharge procedure. To avoid a potential bias between each group, the usual telephonic follow-up, 1 week after discharge, was not carried out during the timeline of this study. For patients who contacted the cardiology ward seeking aid after the ablation, additional specifics were noted as to the reason for the contact and what was done to assist the patients.
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MTk4NDMw