Abstract
BACKGROUND: Delivering health education and information to people and communities to increase their knowledge is an essential part of shared healthcare decision making. However, not all written materials are easily understood and thus multimedia interventions may be an effective alternative. AIMS: This systematic review aimed to identify quantitative evidence related to the effectiveness of multimedia education tools versus standard of care or written educational materials on adult patients' knowledge and understanding of health information. METHODS: The authors conducted a systematic review following JBI methodological guidance. The Medline, Embase and Emcare databases were searched in February 2024. Some 15 publications were identified for inclusion, 10 with animations and five with videos of people. RESULTS: The results were synthesised into three topics: (i) the effectiveness of multimedia interventions; (ii) the components of the multimedia interventions; and (iii) health literacy and language. Overall, data from 73.3% (n=11) of the studies indicated that a multimedia approach to information delivery could lead to an increase in knowledge and understanding. CONCLUSIONS: Multimedia interventions can be an effective tool for delivering health information, but special attention is required to health literacy, language barriers and the needs of populations from low- or middle-income countries, particularly where the ability to speak or write English may be limited. IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: Community nurses can develop and use multimedia education tools during home visits, group health education sessions, or supporting self-care activities for people with long-term conditions for improved patient outcomes.