Curative Medicine among Undergraduates of the University of Ibadan: ALinguistic Analysis of Medical Notes towards a Patient-Centred Care

Abstract

Studies in curative medicine literacy have focused on the communicative potentials of medical leaflets to patients. However, little has been done on medical notes, which are the primary channels of communication between health practitioners and patients in the curative literacy aspect of  medicine. Medical notes subsume prescription notes and test results written in medical terminology. The present study, therefore, investigated this core area of curative medicine to unravel the perceived mystery in their interpretations by patients. Data were sourced from selected students and the University of Ibadan Health Service. One hundred copies of a structured questionnaire were administered to randomly selected undergraduates of the University of Ibadan from six non-medical faculties to find out the level of their awareness in the curative aspect of medicine. In addition, thirty prescription notes, twenty test results and fifty common medical terms were collected at the University Health Service, University of Ibadan, for analysis. Data were subjected to qualitative and quantitative analyses. Also, Relevance Theory of Communication was adopted as theoretical framework. Findings show that the curative medical literacy of most undergraduates is low, whereas literacy in this aspect of medicine can reduce misuse of drugs. This eventually helps in the actualization of a patient-centred care healing process in medical encounters. It is suggested that education planners and policy makers should include a comprehensive curative health awareness module in the General Studies curriculum in Nigerian universities.

Keywords: Curative medicine, prescription notes, test results, medical literacy, patient-centred care