Improving patient recall of information: Harnessing the power of structure

Abstract

Objective: Assess the amount of medical information laypeople recall, investigate the impact of structured presentation on recall.

Methods: 105 first-year psychology students (mean age 21.5±3.8 years; 85% female) were randomised to two information-presentation conditions: structured (S group) and nonstructured (NS group). Students watched a video of a physician discharging a patient from the emergency department. In the S Group, content (28 items of information) was divided into explicit "chapters" with "chapter headings" preceding new information. Afterwards, participants wrote down all information they recalled on an empty sheet of paper.

Results: The S group (N=57) recalled significantly more items than NS group (N=41) (8.12±4.31 vs. 5.71±3.73; p=0.005), rated information as easier to understand (8.0±1.9 vs. 6.1±2.2; p<0.001) and better structured (8.5±1.5 vs. 5.5±2.7; p<0.001); they rather recommended the physician to friends (7.1±2.7 vs. 5.8±2.6; p<0.01).

Conclusion: University students recalled around 7/28 items of information presented. Explicit structure improved recall.

Practice implications: Practitioners must reduce the amount of information conveyed and structure information to improve recall.

Keywords: Book metaphor; Improving recall; Information recall; Patient information; Structuring information.