Recall and understanding of feedback by adult patients following diagnostic audiological evaluation

Abstract

Objective: Patient recall and understanding of information provided during feedback sessions may impact on adherence to treatment recommendations and may be affected by the audiologist's information giving style. This study examined patients’ recall and understanding of diagnostic audiological information provided in a feedback session after an initial assessment. Design: An exploratory, qualitative research design was used and involved: (1) observation of audiological assessments; (2) video recording of feedback sessions between audiologists and patients; (3) audio recorded semi-structured interviews with participants. Transcription-less analysis was used for the videoed interactions and content analysis for the interviews. Study sample: Participants included five adult second-language English speaking patients and five audiologists at an audiology clinic. Results: Patients correctly recalled and understood diagnoses and recommendations but struggled to recall other information provided. There appeared to be a mismatch between the information audiologists deemed important, versus what patients actually recalled and understood. Both facilitatory and inhibitory information giving strategies were used by audiologists in feedback sessions. Conclusion: This study suggests the need for a greater focus on communication skills training in the audiology curriculum with particular attention paid to information giving strategies and patient-centredness. Implications for teaching and practice are discussed.

Key Words::

• Recall
• understanding
• audiology
• patient education
• feedback
• diagnosis

Acknowledgements

The authors are grateful to the audiologists and patients who participated in the study.

Declaration of interest: The authors report no conflict of interest.