Page 91 - THE DUTCH TALKING TOUCH SCREEN QUESTIONNAIRE

Evoluation of the Dutch and Turkish version
Conclusions
The use of plain language and ICT within the DTTSQ had both positive and negative effects on the response processes of its target population. The results of this study emphasize the importance of earlier recommendations to accompany any adaption of any questionnaire to a new mode of delivery by demonstrating the difference and equivalence between the two different modes and to scientifically evaluate the applicability of the newly developed mode of the questionnaire in its intended setting. This is especially important in a digital era in which the use of plain language within health care is increasingly being advocated.
INTRODUCTION
Background
It is widely known and accepted that patient-centered care has the potential to increase the effectiveness of health care in general [1]. Unfortunately low-educated patients are not always able to benefit from a patient-centered care approach. A possible explanation for this can be found in the fact that patient-centered care demands of patients to take an active mutual partnership in the patient-provider interaction [2,3]. Patient-centered care puts a relatively strong emphasis on communication and information and takes the patient’s perspective as a starting point [4,5]. Low-educated people have trouble providing information about their health problems to health care professionals. It is often hard for them to determine which information their health care provider (HCP) needs. The majority of them lack the health care vocabulary to report symptoms accurately, and they tend to provide information in a way that is illogical and difficult to comprehend by their HCP [6]. Having trouble providing information causes problems in patient-provider interaction, which impacts health outcomes negatively [7]. Evidence shows that the use of standardized health-related questionnaires contributes to the quality and patient centeredness of patient-provider interaction [8-13]. However, as most health-related questionnaires are not designed in ways that meet the needs of low-educated patients, these patients are disadvantaged in using them effectively within the health care setting [11-13]. In 2016, 9.5% of the Dutch population in the age range of 15 to 75 years had an educational level of primary school at most [14]. These people specifically are at risk when it comes to understanding and using
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