The Quality of Patient Education Pamphlets Made by Nursing Students of Semnan University of Medical Sciences

Introduction: Educating patients is one of the nurses’ main duties. The educational pamphlets for patients have been less studied. In order to evaluate the students’ performance in preparing educational pamphlets for patients, this study was designed with the aim to determine the quality of these pamphlets designed for patients with chronic diseases in Semnan University of Medical Sciences. Methods: In a descriptive study, 120 pamphlets made by nursing students were gathered and evaluated using a self-made checklist including three parts of message content, organization of the content, and appearance and appeal of the pamphlets. The SMOG (Simplified Measure of Gobbledygook) readability formula was used for determining literacy level needed for reading this pamphlets. Results: The most selected subject for patient education, chosen by students was related to endocrine system, (15.8%) and the main item discussed in these pamphlets was about self-care actions ( 21.93%). The average literacy level needed for reading these pamphlets was at the level of 11/74th grade, while the average literacy level of patients was at the level of 5th grade. Conclusion: The prepared educational materials were written above patients’ literacy level. It is necessary to provide these materials more simple and understandable, and pay attention to other important aspects, in order to make them more usable for patients.