Video consent significantly improves patient knowledge of general surgery procedures

Abstract

IntroductionInformed consent is essential in ensuring patients’ understanding of their medical condition, treatment, and potential risks. The objective of this study was to investigate the impact of utilizing a video consent compared to standard consent for patient knowledge and satisfaction in selected general surgical procedures.Methods and proceduresWe included 118 patients undergoing appendectomy, cholecystectomy, inguinal hernia repair, and fundoplication at two hospitals in Omaha, NE. Patients were randomized to either a standard consent or a video consent. Outcomes included a pretest and posttest objective knowledge assessment of their procedure, as well as a satisfaction survey which was completed immediately after consent and following discharge. Given the pre-post design, a linear mixed-effect model was estimated for both outcomes. A two-way interaction effect was of primary interest to assess whether pre-to-post change in the outcome differed between patients randomized to standard or video consent.ResultsBaseline characteristics were mostly similar between groups except for patient sex, p = 0.041. Both groups showed a statistically significant increase in knowledge from pretest to posttest (standard group: 0.25, 95% CI 0.01 to 0.51, p = 0.048; video group: 0.68, 95% CI 0.36 to 1.00, p < 0.001), with the video group showing significantly greater change (interaction p = 0.043) indicating that incorporating a video into the consent process resulted in a better improvement in patient’s knowledge of the proposed procedure. Further, both groups showed a decrease in satisfaction post-discharge, but no statistically significant difference in the magnitude of decrease between the groups (interaction p = 0.309).ConclusionVideo consent lead to a significant improvement in a patient’s knowledge of the proposed treatment. Although the patient satisfaction survey didn’t show a significant difference, it did show a trend. We propose incorporating videos into the consent process for routine general surgical procedures.