Manage Abstracts

The objective of this research was to determine the perception of patients in hospital who are malnourished on malnutrition infographics.

Patients who were at least 18 years of age, diagnosed as malnourished (SGA B/C), in the medical or surgical units at Regina General Hospital, SK were asked to participate. Once consent was obtained, patients were invited to take part in a fifteen-minute interview and were shown two posters with infographics on malnutrition. Participants were asked about the infographics’ format and their perceptions of them.

Nineteen participants provided feedback on the two infographics. Fourteen of the nineteen (74%) participants found poster 1 easy to read as compared to the second poster (63%, n=12/19). Participants made observations that the posters were confusing and overly busy, contributing to why not all participants found the poster easy to read. For both posters, 15 out of19 (78.9%) said the information was useful to them. Of the 19 participants, 11 (57.9%) said a dietitian had come to see them. The majority of participants (n=13/19, 68.4%) had been in the hospital at least 1 week. Twenty six percent (n=5/19) had identified that living alone would be a barrier to eating to meet needs after leaving the hospital, while 26.3% (n=5/19) identified that poor appetite would be a challenge. Fifty-eight percent (n=11/19) of participants reported that “loss of independence” was the group of words on poster 1 that stood out to them the most, whereas “fueling” and “healing” was noted for poster 2.

Participants generally found the information on the infographics useful. Participants related to messages that aligned with their experiences and values. Practical tips to improve posters as using simpler texts and images. Future research should examine the effectiveness of infographics as they relate to motivating patients to increase their intake.