Influence of written information on patients' knowledge of their diagnosis

Providing patients with information on their diagnosis is central to good medical care and has recently been highlighted as a 'right' in the Patient's Charter [1]. Written information has been shown to be useful in paediatrics [2] and in emergency departments [3], and the use of prescription information leaflets has led to improved knowledge of medicines and increased patient satisfaction [4]. The recall of diagnosis is likely to be a particular problem in general medical practice where patients often have multiple diagnoses. In older patients, communication difficulties may be common. No published studies have determined what patients remember about their diagnosis after discharge from medical wards. To determine the accuracy of diagnosis recall, and the influence of written information, we have studied patients discharged from one acute medical ward.