The use of degrees of certainty to evaluate knowledge

• Published in: Patient education and counseling Vol. 51; no. 1; pp. 29 - 37
• Main Authors: Bruttomesso, Daniela, Gagnayre, Rémi, Leclercq, Dieudonné, Crazzolara, Dalia, Busata, Erica, d’Ivernois, Jean-François, Casiglia, Edoardo, Tiengo, Antonio, Baritussio, Aldo
• Format: Journal Article Web Resource
• Language: English
• Published: Ireland Elsevier Ireland Ltd 01.09.2003; Elsevier Sci Ireland Ltd
• Subjects: Adult; Attitude to Health; Cognition; Degree of certainty; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1; Education & enseignement; Education & instruction; Female; Group certainty topography; Human health sciences; Humans; Knowledge evaluation; Male; Nursing; Patient Education as Topic; Public health, health care sciences & services; Santé publique, services médicaux & soins de santé; Sciences de la santé humaine; Sciences sociales & comportementales, psychologie; Social & behavioral sciences, psychology; Sociologie & sciences sociales; Sociology & social sciences; Surveys and Questionnaires; Type I diabetes; Degree of certainty; Type I diabetes; Group certainty topography; Knowledge evaluation
• ISSN: 0738-3991; 1873-5134; 1873-5134
• DOI: 10.1016/S0738-3991(02)00226-4

In patients with chronic diseases education should improve knowledge about the disease and increase certainty in knowledge. We present here a technique to measure changes in certainty after an educational intervention. For this purpose, before and after a course, patients answer a questionnaire in which answers are accompanied by an estimate of the degree of certainty. Answers are then assigned to areas of knowledge defined a priori: mastered (certainty ≥90%, correctness ≥90%), hazardous (certainty ≥90%, correctness ≤50%), uncertain (certainty ≤50%, correctness ≥90%) and residual. Finally differences in the distribution of answers among different areas are analysed statistically. Using this technique in a group of patients with type I diabetes who followed a course on insulin use, we found significant changes in the distribution of answers among different areas of knowledge. Thus changes in certainty can be analysed quantitatively and used to evaluate better the effect of therapeutic education.