Patient Information on Awake Craniotomy: A Video Leaflet

Abstract

Abstract AIMS An Awake Craniotomy is a neuro-surgical procedure where the patient remains awake for all or part of their surgery to allow a lesion to be maximally resected without damaging healthy brain functioning. An annual audit of our Patient Satisfaction Survey demonstrated that ‘Receiving Written Information’ was scoring below standard. A new leaflet was designed to address this and it was developed into a ‘Video Leaflet’ comprising a 10 minute audio-visual production, accessed by QR code. METHOD The team created a scripted description of the patient Awake Craniotomy experience. The script was coded into: audio narration, written information or video content. The areas covered were: consultations with the team; pre and intra-operative testing; fMRI scanning; hospital environments; and follow-up. The script was filmed with written consent from all involved and then collated by the Communications Department. There were several revisions made based on feedback from all involved resulting in the final product. RESULTS The Video Leaflet is ready to be demonstrated to and evaluated by patients using a structured questionnaire. The annual audit of Satisfaction Surveys will be compared prior to and post the introduction of the Video Leaflet to determine whether ratings for ‘Receiving Written Information’ have improved. Questionnaire results which are available by the conference date will be presented as preliminary findings. CONCLUSION It is anticipated that the Video Leaflet will further optimise patient preparation, facilitate informed consent and contribute to maximising coping and engagement from a patient perspective to improve patient experience for a complex and daunting procedure.