Date of Graduation

2007

Document Type

Dissertation/Thesis

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to develop and evaluate the reliability and validity of a newly developed instrument, “Tool to Evaluate Materials Used in Patient Education” (TEMPtEd). The instrument was developed using the classical work of Waltz, Strickland, and Lenz (2005). The instrument contains 5 subscales (content, motivating principles, literacy, layout and typography, and graphics) with 21 criteria for evaluation using a 4-point rating scale. Ninety-one nurse educators from throughout the United States used the TEMPtEd Beta Version # 4 to evaluate an educational brochure on how to follow a low sodium diet. Data analysis demonstrated that the TEMPtEd is a promising instrument for the evaluation of patient educational material. The internal consistency of the overall instrument (.675 or .825 - .836 when collapsed from four to three rating options) and a moderate positive relationship (r(24) = .408, p < .05) between the test-retest was found. Significant weak to moderate correlations were found between the TEMPtEd and Suitability Assessment of Materials(SAM), a previously developed instrument designed to measure the suitability of patient educational material, on the overall scale (p < .001) and four of the five subscales (motivating principles, literacy, layout and typography, and graphics at p < .01). Exploratory factor analysis revealed a six-factor solution that closely resembled the TEMPtEd. Additionally, study participants indicated that they preferred the TEMPtEd for the evaluation of patient educational materials (61%) as opposed to the SAM. The TEMPtEd was completed in less than 30 minutes by study participants (56%). Ideally, future studies of the TEMPtEd should be conducted to support the reliability and validity of this instrument. However, it is difficult to recruit participants willing to participate in all phases of the methodological study.

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