Evaluation of quality and accessibility of health education materials. I. The opinion of health personnel

The study concerning quality and accessibility of educational materials for health workers was taken up in 2003 in Health Promotion Department of the National Institute of Hygiene and Mazovian Centre of Public Health. Two questionnaires were elaborated: a) for physicians, b) for social-and-familial nurses. The questionnaire for physicians contains demographic data and questions about health education materials (accessibility, sufficiency, themes of received materials, and expectations concerning themes and forms). The questionnaire for social-and-familial nurses consists of demographic data and questions about health education materials (sources of materials, patients' concern with materials, adequacy for patients' interest, and needs concerning themes and forms). Data were obtained from 112 nurses (110 females and 2 males) working in Warsaw hospitals (37.6%), regional dispensaries (33.0%), specific dispensaries (11.9%) and other health services (19.5%). Majority of physicians (82.7%) answered that they received health education materials, but only 32.9% assessed the number as sufficient. More then seventy percents of physicians assessed, that materials in high degree concern advertising of pharmaceutical drugs and other commercial products, while only 11.3%--health promotion and healthy lifestyle, and 5%--disease prevention. One from three physicians needed educational materials for patients to give them during visits in high degree. As regards to themes, physicians most frequently mentioned disease prevention (41.1%), health promotion and healthy lifestyle (37.7%), treatment (34.9%), diet and nutrition (20.7%). Booklets, leaflets and posters were the forms of health education materials, which physicians noticed most frequently. Regarding social-and-familial nurses, almost all (95%) received health materials from pharmaceutical and other commercial institutions, 68.5% from public institutions and 26.6% from foundations. Only one from five of the nurses assessed, that materials captured high interest of the patients, and 13.6% of the nurses stated, that received health education materials were adequate to health information needs of patients in high degree. Nearly the same percentage of nurses as physicians (41.4%) mentioned disease prevention as most desirable theme of health education materials, lower percentage mentioned treatment (29.5%) and health promotion and healthy lifestyle (19.8%). Our findings showed that most of health materials were received