Cognitively empowering internet-based patient eduCation for ambulatory orthopaediC surgery patients

4 Katja Heikkinen COGNITIVELY EMPOWERING INTERNET-BASED PATIENT EDUCATION FOR AMBULATORY ORTHOPAEDIC SURGERY PATIENTS Department of Nursing Science, Faculty of Medicine, University of Turku, Finland Annales Universitatis Turkuensis Turku 2011 ABSTRACT The aim of this study was to create and evaluate an Internet-based patient education programme aiming to cognitively empower ambulatory orthopaedic surgery patients. The research process was divided into two phases. In Phase I, the purpose was to create the content for cognitively empowering Internet-based patient education for ambulatory orthopaedic surgery patient care. In Phase II, the purposes were: to evaluate cognitively empowering Internet-based patient education (experiment group) user acceptance and the outcomes of this education, and to compare the outcomes of cognitively empowering Internet-based patient education to the outcomes of cognitively empowering face-to-face education (control group). The ultimate goal of this study was to create a new type of cognitively empowering patient education intervention which offers an individualized and engaging method that is free of time and place for patients having ambulatory orthopaedic surgery operations. In Phase I, we used a descriptive comparative cross-sectional study (preand post-test) design and 120 consecutive ambulatory orthopaedic surgery patients evaluated their perceptions of their knowledge expectations and their received knowledge. On the basis of the results of this study, as well as earlier research knowledge on empowerment, we created a website to support the cognitive empowerment of an ambulatory orthopaedic patient. The content of the website is multidimensional. In Phase II we evaluated the programme using a randomized controlled trial. Elective ambulatory orthopaedic surgery patients were randomized to either an experiment group (n=72) receiving education through a website or to a control group (n=75) receiving face-to-face education with a nurse. We collected the data at the two phases of the research with structured instruments and analysed it using statistical methods. This study showed that patients’ possibilities to become cognitively empowered can be increased with the help of cognitively empowering Internet-based patient education. Users accepted the website that included multidimensional knowledge. Thus, the utility of cognitively empowering Internet-based patient education was partially lower than cognitively empowering face-to-face patient education; patients used the website without any problems and evaluated it as easy to use. There were no differences between the out-of-pocket costs of education. However, the nurses saved time when using the cognitively empowering Internet-based patient education. This study also showed that cognitively empowering Internet-based patient education increased patients’ knowledge level and their sufficiency of knowledge more than did face-to-face education. Patients’ experiences of their emotions and intensity of symptoms did not differ between the education groups. In summary, cognitively empowering Internet-based patient education can be recommended as an alternative to the face-to-face education method for ambulatory orthopaedic surgery patients.