January 24, 2019
Information technologies such as tablet PCs are playing an increasingly important role in the communication with patients. But how effective are they for older adults, who often have difficulties understanding medical information and who are not technology-affine? A recently published study by Jacobs University has investigated this. The result: traditional paper formats are better suited for this target group to communicate health-related information than those on tablet PCs.
Information and communication are basic prerequisites for participation in the medical decision-making process. It is particularly important for people with impaired health competence to be able to access and understand the information they receive from their medical doctors. In their study, Dr. Shu Ling Tan, Dr. Amanda Whittal and Prof. Dr. Sonia Lippke from Jacobs University compared traditional brochures with photo stories. This form of presentation, which was developed in cooperation with the University Medical Center Groningen (Netherlands) for the communication of elderly patients with the doctors, is based on comic layout, pictures and texts in speech bubbles.