Development, validation, translation and user testing of a patient information leaflet for the management of dyslipidemia

Non-adherence is the main problem among dyslipidemia patients. Patient information leaflets are educational tools designed to improve patients' knowledge and understanding of their condition and treatment, which may indirectly support better medication use. The aim of this study was to prepare, validate, translate, and user-testing of Patient information leaflets (PIL) for dyslipidemia patients. A PIL was developed in the first phase, validated in the second phase, translated into two different local languages in the third phase, and finally tested on patients aged ≥ 18 years old of either sex diagnosed with dyslipidemia and able to read either of the three languages. A pre-post (quasi-experimental) study was conducted for six months to test the PILs. The PIL, along with verbal counseling, was given to all the participants after the completion of the pre-test questionnaire. After providing PIL and counseling, the post-test score was obtained, and the post-3-month score was obtained three months later. The PIL contains information about cholesterol, dyslipidemia & its risk factors, and management. The Baker-able leaflet design score for the English version of the PIL is 28. The Flesch Reading Ease scale and FK-GL scores for the English version of the patient information were 90.9 and 2.3, respectively. There is a significant difference between the time factor (pre, post, and post-3-month) with respect to the mean knowledge score (F1.46, 113.81) = 570.00, p = 0.001, η2 = 0.88). There was a significant improvement in mean knowledge scores from pre-test to post-test (mean difference = 43.59, p = 0.001), with a partial decline at 3 months, though scores remained significantly higher than baseline (mean difference = 20.57, p = 0.001). This study developed and validated a patient information leaflet in three different languages and demonstrated its effectiveness in improving patient knowledge and understanding of dyslipidemia. The leaflet may serve as a useful tool for patient education and can be further evaluated in future intervention studies for its impact on clinical and behavioral outcomes.