Objective: Our goal was to evaluate if standardized counseling improves patient knowledge, as compared to pre-counseling knowledge, and as compared to knowledge after non-standardized counseling.
Methods: This was an IRB-approved prospective study conducted at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, from October 2010 to June 2011. Two groups of patients were evaluated: Group A received standardized counseling in the resident clinic; Group B received non-standardized counseling, in the resident clinic or private practice. The standardized counseling group received questionnaires before and after standardized counseling; the non-standardized counseling group received questionnaires after non-standardized counseling.
Results: Sixty-six patients were enrolled in this study: 23 in Group A and 43 Group B. Baseline characteristics were similar among the groups. Group A showed statistically significant improvement in knowledge after standardized counseling (17.1%, p ≤ 0.01). Group A also scored significantly better on the post-counseling test than Group B (84.7% vs. 64.6%, p ≤ 0.01). In further analysis, this significant improvement was shown regardless of whether the non-standardized counseling was performed in the resident clinic or private practice.
Conclusion: Standardized counseling improves patient knowledge about induction of labor. In the future, this information can be used to appropriately direct patients' expectations and improve satisfaction with the induction process.