Endocrine Abstracts

Patient information is increasingly well provided, but little is known of patients' actual understanding of their conditions. The aim of this study was to determine the level of knowledge about thyrotoxicosis and its treatment among patients attending the endocrine clinic. Consecutive patients who had received antithyroid drugs were identified from the clinic database and asked to respond to a postal questionnaire. Ethical approval was obtained for the study.
Questionnaires were sent to 132 patients and 64 were returned, of which 57 were suitable for analysis. Median age was 42y (range 21-86y) and 84% of responders were female. 96% of subjects knew the thyroid gland was situated in the neck and 93% correctly identified the hormone it produced. Although 74% of responders felt they had received adequate information about antithyroid medications, only 56% identified appropriate actions to take if a sore throat developed whilst on antithyroid drugs. Worryingly, 31% of patients who felt they had received adequate information about medication still did not appreciate the risks of agranulocytosis. 70% of responders knew all three major treatments used for thyrotoxicosis. Only 9% of responders were aware of all major antithyroid drug side effects. Only 25% of patients identified the major symptoms of thyrotoxicosis, but 69% of the total responders felt they had received adequate information about thyroid disease. Four responders volunteered comments about information sources other than the clinic, including use of the internet, textbooks, the BMA and patient support groups.
Patient knowledge regarding thyroid disease and treatment is disappointing, despite patients themselves feeling adequately informed, and the use of information leaflets and contact with a specialist nurse during this study. This study suggests that we need to be more active in checking patients' understanding of key issues.