Evaluation of a self-teaching program

A self-teaching booklet on hypertension was evaluated in two populations: clients attending public health screening clinics and inpatients at a Veterans Administration hospital. Participants were randomized into an education or a control group. Evaluation consisted of measuring knowledge gained from the booklet immediately after reading it and retention of key concepts two weeks later. Men did better than women, and VA education participants did better than VA controls. No differences were detected between the public health education and control groups or the combined (VA and public health) education and control groups. The selfteaching booklet alone did not appear to yield a measurable amount of new knowledge. Health professionals, when educating patients and evaluating programs, should consider combinations of educational methods when using self-teaching programs.