Abstract
BackgroundEducational interventions were necessary to clarify COVID-19 related misconceptions among Hong Kong older adults. Yet, face-to-face interventions were infeasible under the pandemic. The primary objective of the present study was to evaluate the efficacy of a healthcare student-led, telephone-delivered intervention in educating older adults on COVID-19 related health topics. Feasibility, satisfaction level in subjects and impacts on volunteer students of the intervention were also explored. MethodsSubjects aged 65 or above were recruited from a community center in Yuen Long, Hong Kong. The telephone-delivered intervention consisted of 5 phone call sessions conducted by student volunteers. The first four sessions included pre-tests covering three COVID-19 related health topics. Standardized explanations were offered to all subjects during phone call. In the last session, post-tests on all themes were conducted. Paired t-test and McNemar’s test were used to measure the efficacy of intervention based on the differences in pre-tests and post-tests scores. The level of significance was 0.05. Subject satisfaction surveys and student feedback surveys were analyzed. This was a longitudinal study with no control group.Results Twenty-five subjects were recruited. Paired t-test results showed statistically significant improvement in test scores for all themes: from 76.0% to 95.3% (p<0.01) on Medication Safety, from 64.0% to 88.9% (p<0.01) on Healthcare Voucher, and from 78.0% to 93.0% (p<0.01) on COVID-19 Myth busting. McNemar’s test results showed an increase in correct rate for all questions. However, the improvement was not statistically significant in 65% of the questions due to small sample size and ceiling effect. Most subjects were satisfied with the program and improvement in mood after the program were reported. Student feedback survey suggested that the intervention enhanced students’ communication skills and understanding about older adults in Hong Kong.Conclusion Our pilot study offered initial evidence to suggest the efficacy and feasibility of telephone-delivered educational intervention in educating Hong Kong older adults and its benefits on student volunteers. Future studies should include a larger sample size and evaluate the ability of phone calls in improving subjects’ mental well-being.
Improving older adults’ knowledge and practice of preventive measures through a telephone health education during the SARS epidemic in Hong Kong: A pilot study
