Effective Teaching Strategies for Patient Education in Individuals With Spinal Cord Injury in Iran

Background: Spinal cord injury (SCI) causes multiple complications, which can be prevented or minimized, through patient education (PE). Individuals with SCI are different, according to culture, socioeconomic status, level of education, access to educational facilities, and geographic region. Therefore, different teaching strategies should be used to increase effectiveness of education. Objectives: The aim of this study is to evaluate the perspectives of individuals with SCI, about their preferred methods of PE. Patients and Methods: This was a descriptive cross-sectional study undertaken at the brain and spinal cord injury research center (BASIR), Tehran university of medical sciences, Tehran, Iran. The participants comprised of 119 SCI persons (81 men and 38 women), with mean age of 32 ± 10.5 years, referred to BASIR clinic to receive outpatient rehabilitation, in 2012. The patients were asked about their views, concerning preferred methods of PE. Results: Most participants (94%) appreciated to be informed concerning their illness. The two most preferred education methods were educational movies by CD or DVD (44%) and lectures or face classes (36%), followed by educational TV programs (30%), brochures (24%), education via internet or computer-aided (14.3%), and, finally, educational books (2%). Conclusions: Health care providers should take into account the differences between individuals with SCI, to use effective teaching strategies. Also, they should apply appropriate teaching methods and more than one teaching strategy, in relation to the different time and situation. Effective PE, in individuals with SCI, can increase their knowledge and motivation in self-care, improve satisfaction, prevent complications and make the PE more effective.