Due to the very low quality of the current evidence , the effects of formal patient education provided in addition to the st and ard information provided by doctors to patients compared with st and ard care remain uncertain .
BACKGROUND Generally , before being operated on , patients will be given informal information by the healthcare providers involved in the care of the patients ( doctors , nurses , ward clerks , or healthcare assistants ) .
This information can also be provided formally in different formats including written information , formal lectures , or audio-visual recorded information .
OBJECTIVES To compare the benefits and harms of formal preoperative patient education for patients undergoing laparoscopic cholecystectomy .
Predictors of comprehension during surgical informed consent.
BACKGROUND Patient comprehension during surgical informed consent  remains problematic . Using data from our r and omized trial of methods to improve informed consent comprehension , we performed an additional analysis to define independent factors associated with improved patient underst and ing . STUDY DESIGN Patients scheduled for 1 of 4 elective operations ( total hip arthroplasty [ n = 137 ] , carotid endarterectomy [ n = 178 ] , laparoscopic cholecystectomy [ n = 179 ] , or radical prostatectomy [ n = 81 ] ) at 7 Department of Veterans Affairs ( VA ) medical centers were enrolled . All informed consent discussion s were performed using iMedConsent ( Dialog Medical ) , the VA 's computerized informed consent platform . Using a unique module within iMedConsent , we r and omized patients to repeat back ( RB ) , requiring correct reiteration of procedure-specific facts , or st and ard ( STD ) iMedConsent . Patient comprehension was tested after the informed consent discussion using procedure-specific question naires . Time spent completing the informed consent process was measured using time stamps within iMedConsent . Multiple linear regression identified factors independently associated with improved comprehension . RESULTS We enrolled 575 patients ( 276 RB , 299 st and ard ) ; 93 % were male , 74 % were Caucasian , and 89 % had at least a high school education . Independent factors associated with improved comprehension included race ( p < 0.01 ) , ethnicity ( p < 0.05 ) , age ( p < 0.02 ) , operation type ( p < 0.01 ) , group assignment ( + /- RB ; p < 0.05 ) , and total consent time ( p < 0.0001 ) . Patient comprehension was maximized when informed consent took between 15 and 30 minutes . RB 's positive impact on patient comprehension was weaker in the analysis including consent time . CONCLUSIONS Comprehension during informed consent discussion s may be limited in individuals with potential language difficulty due to ethnicity or education . Total consent time was the strongest predictor of patient comprehension . Affording adequate time for informed consent discussion s and using informed consent adjuncts such as RB may enhance comprehension in such individuals
Due to the very low quality of the current evidence , the effects of formal patient education provided in addition to the st and ard information provided by doctors to patients compared with st and ard care remain uncertain .
BACKGROUND Generally , before being operated on , patients will be given informal information by the healthcare providers involved in the care of the patients ( doctors , nurses , ward clerks , or healthcare assistants ) .
This information can also be provided formally in different formats including written information , formal lectures , or audio-visual recorded information .
OBJECTIVES To compare the benefits and harms of formal preoperative patient education for patients undergoing laparoscopic cholecystectomy .