Search

This article describes a qualitative and quantitative approach to the development and iterative revision process of producing valid, user-friendly pictorial patient education handouts (infographics) on tracheostomy care. An iterative user-centered design with health professional, patient, and family caregiver panels was used. The authors first developed a new evaluation tool for pictorial education handouts, the Perceived Infographics Usability Measurement (PIUM). The patient education handout, consisting of three A3-size posters with illustrations on key steps of daily tracheostomy care, reached a high consensus among health professional experts (88.3%) and patients and family caregivers (89.1%) on PIUM usability indexes. Patients and family caregivers expressed that the patient education handout would be an understandable teaching tool and procedure reminder, which would help alleviate fears about tracheostomy care. The PIUM demonstrated satisfactory content validity and reliability properties and was a quality tool to guide the transformation of text-based content to a pictorial patient education handout. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

OBJECTIVES: To describe post-traumatic distress and identify associated factors in patients with head and neck cancer–related tracheostomy and their family caregivers. SAMPLE & SETTING: This observational study assessed 22 patients with surgically managed head and neck cancer–related tracheostomy and 17 family caregivers at a comprehensive cancer center. METHODS & VARIABLES: Instruments included the Impact of Event Scale–Revised, the Memorial Symptom Assessment Scale, and the PatientReported Outcomes Measurement Information System Depression 6a Short Form scale. RESULTS: Post-traumatic distress related to tracheostomy and general depression in patients and family caregivers was highly prevalent. An increased level of physical symptoms was moderately correlated with higher levels of post-traumatic distress. IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING: Patients who experienced higher symptom burden may also suffer from post-traumatic distress related to tracheostomy. Oncology nurses can implement post-traumatic distress screening in patients and their family caregivers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]