Methods and instruments
We have developed structured instruments for measuring empowering knowledge. The development of these instruments based on the theory of Empowering Patient Education, EPE (Leino-Kilpi & Vuorenheimo, 1994, Leino-Kilpi et al., 1999, Rankinen et al., 2007).
Instruments measuring empowering knowledge
The construction of the instruments based on the six dimensions of empowering knowledge: bio-physiological (i.e. illness, symptoms, treatment and complications), functional (i.e. mobility, rest and nutrition), experimential (i.e. emotions and hospital experiences), ethical (i.e. rights, duties and participation in decision-making), social (i.e. families, other patients and patients unions), financial (i.e. costs and financial benefits). For defining the level of empowerment, the relationship between expectations and received knowledge is fundamental: the closer they are, the higher possibilities the patient has to be empowered.
Instruments:
Expected Knowledge of Hospital Patients'
©Leino-Kilpi et al. 2003Received Knowledge of Hospital Patients'
©Leino-Kilpi et al. 2003NCE Instrument for Evaluating Practice of Patient Education
®NCEKnowledge about Pain
©Salanterä et al. 2002
Other Physiological Symtoms and Emotions
©Leino-Kilpi et al. 2003A Criteria List including
* patients´ postoperative contacts with health care professionals,
* costs of patients,
* nurses´ time used for patient education
©Leino-Kilpi et al. 2003
For measuring outcomes of empowering patient education, we have used many other instruments of the patient education process (©NCE), in the field of health-related quality of life (EuroQol Group 1990, QoR-1998), self-efficacy (Pellino et al. 1998), as well as different knowledge and problem-solving tests and instruments for a special educational field.