Effectiveness of a Patient Education Intervention in Improving Compliance with Fracture Management Instructions in Sokoto State

Non-compliance with fracture management instructions, including weight-bearing restrictions, cast care, and follow-up attendance, is a common cause of preventable orthopaedic complications in Nigerian outpatient settings. This randomised controlled study evaluates the effectiveness of a structured patient education intervention in improving compliance with fracture management instructions among adult outpatients at Usmanu Danfodiyo University Teaching Hospital (UDUTH), Sokoto, North West Nigeria. One hundred and twenty participants will be randomised to receive either standard verbal instruction supplemented by a pictorial education leaflet (intervention) or standard verbal instruction alone (control). Compliance will be assessed at four and eight weeks through direct observation of cast integrity, follow-up attendance rates, adherence to weight-bearing instructions, and self-reported exercise completion. Outcomes will be compared between groups using chi-square tests and logistic regression. The study hypothesises that the pictorial leaflet intervention significantly improves overall compliance. Findings will be reported to the orthopaedic outpatient department at UDUTH and the Sokoto State Health Education and Promotion Agency to support scaling of the educational materials. This research contributes to evidence-based patient education strategies for orthopaedic care in a predominantly low-literacy North West Nigerian population. Keywords: patient education, fracture compliance, pictorial leaflet, Sokoto, orthopaedic outpatient.