Date of Award

2010

Document Type

Open Access Thesis

Degree Name

Medical Doctor (MD)

First Advisor

Richard Antaya, MD

Abstract

IMPROVING ACNE VULGARIS KNOWLEDGE IN ADOLESCENTS: COMPUTER-BASED TUTORIAL VERSUS HANDOUT Ohenewaa Larbi Ahima; James Dziura; Richard J. Antaya, Department of Dermatology, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT. Given the choice, adolescents would most likely prefer a computer-based tutorial (CBT) on acne vulgaris rather than a handout with the same information. The aims of the study were to assess pre- and post-test preference of either a handout or CBT on acne among adolescents, and to assess adolescents knowledge of acne before and after the intervention. One hundred ten patients ages 13 to 17 participated in the study. All subjects completed a pretest questionnaire about preference of either a CBT or handout, and to assess baseline knowledge of acne. Subjects were then randomized to either the CBT or handout. Immediately after the intervention, subjects completed preference and acne knowledge questionnaires to assess change in knowledge. One month later a posttest was given and subjects completed the same acne knowledge questionnaire to assess knowledge retention. In the pretest sixty-seven percent of subjects preferred the CBT versus 33% for the handout (p = 0.0006). Posttest preference for the CBT was 68% versus 31% for the handout (p = 0.0002). Each group liked their medium of tutorial (p = 0.085). More subjects in the CBT group than the handout group felt the pictures were adequate (p = 0.0003). Likewise, more subjects in the CBT group than the handout group felt the tutorial was easy to understand (p = 0.02). Adolescent patients prefer to learn about acne with a CBT rather than a handout. Both CBT and handout tutorial are equally beneficial in significantly improving short- and moderate-term knowledge about acne among adolescent patients.

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