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 .
Improving Informed Consent of Surgical Patients Using a Multimedia-Based Program?: Results of a Prospective Randomized Multicenter Study of Patients Before Cholecystectomy
Objective : The term “ informed consent ” explains the process by which a patient , before treatment , is provided comprehensive and impartial information regarding a planned operative procedure so that he/she underst and s the implication s of the procedure before consenting . The goal of the current study was to investigate whether st and ard methods of consenting can be improved using a multimedia-based information program ( MM-IP ) . Patients and Methods : In a prospect i ve multicenter study , 80 patients undergoing laparoscopic cholecystectomy went through the st and ard informed consent process . One group of patients was also given access to a MM-IP . Question naires were completed before surgery . These evaluated how patients perceived their own underst and ing of important aspects of their illness ( ie , disease , therapeutic alternatives , operation , risks ) and satisfaction with the consenting process . Patients ’ anxiety levels were also assessed . These question naires were used to evaluate the effectiveness of the MM-IP for improving the consent process . Results : Seventy-six patients ( 47 women , 29 men , median age 54 years ) were included . There was no significant age or gender variation between the groups ( st and ard n = 41 and MM-IP n = 35 ) . Eighty-two percent of all respondents were satisfied with the st and ard informed consent process . However , perceived underst and ing of the material was significantly improved in the MM-IP group ( P < 0.001 ) . Patients with less formal education profited particularly from the MM-IP .  Preoperative anxiety did not vary between the groups . Conclusion : Use of the multimedia-based program was positively evaluated by patients , and significantly improved patients ’ perceived underst and ing of their disease and its treatment . It is , therefore , valuable in the informed consent process
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 .