The impact of illustrations on public understanding of the aim of cancer screening

Brotherstone, H. and Miles, Anne and Robb, K.A. and Atkin, W. and Wardle, J. (2006) The impact of illustrations on public understanding of the aim of cancer screening. Patient Education and Counseling 63 (3), pp. 328-335. ISSN 0738-3991.

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Official URL: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pec.2006.03.016

Abstract

Objective To study the effectiveness of visual illustrations in improving people's understanding of the preventive aim of flexible sigmoidoscopy (FS) screening. Methods Three-hundred and eighteen people aged 60–64 were offered an appointment to attend FS screening and randomly allocated to receive either written information alone or written information plus illustrations. The illustrations showed the adenoma–carcinoma sequence and how it can be interrupted by removing polyps found during FS. Telephone interviews were conducted with a randomly selected sub-set of people prior to their screening appointment to assess their knowledge and understanding of the test (n = 65). The interviews were tape-recorded, transcribed and content analysed by researchers blind to the condition people had been allocated to. Results In the written information only group, 57% understood that the test was looking for polyps rather than just cancer, whilst in the group who received written information and illustrations, 84% understood this. Logistic regression analyses confirmed that addition of illustrations resulted in significantly better understanding (OR = 3.75; CI: 1.16–12.09; p = 0.027), and this remained significant controlling for age, gender and Townsend scores (an area-based measure of deprivation) (OR = 10.85; CI: 1.72–68.43; p = 0.01). Conclusion Illustrations improved understanding of the preventive aim of FS screening. Practice implications Pictoral illustrations could be used to facilitate patient understanding of screening.

Metadata

Item Type:	Article
School:	Birkbeck Faculties and Schools > Faculty of Science > School of Psychological Sciences
Depositing User:	Sarah Hall
Date Deposited:	07 Jan 2020 15:10
Last Modified:	02 Aug 2023 17:56
URI:	https://eprints.bbk.ac.uk/id/eprint/30527

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