Patient Knowledge About Disease Self-Management in Cirrhosis

OBJECTIVES: We aimed to understand and improve patient knowledge about self-management of cirrhosis. METHODS: We gave 150 outpatients with cirrhosis a survey to test disease self-management knowledge. We then gave them a concise educational booklet and, 3 months later, a follow-up survey. We analyzed demographic and clinical correlates of baseline knowledge, and compared knowledge scores before and after the intervention. RESULTS: Only 53% of the 15 questions were answered correctly in the baseline survey. The most commonly missed items related to diet, such as the sodium content of sea salt, as well as the safety of medications, such as acetaminophen and statins. After the intervention, 77% of patients returned the follow-up survey. This group's median knowledge score improved from 53% to 67%; improvement occurred across all domains tested. CONCLUSIONS: Cirrhosis patients lack the knowledge to effectively manage their disease. A simple educational intervention may improve patient knowledge. SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL is linked to the online version of the paper at http://www.nature.com/ajg Am J Gastroenterol 2013;108:302-305; doi:10.1038/ajg.2012.214