Background & Aims
Informed consent is defined as the voluntary approval of a patient who fully understands the risks associated with procedures and medical and surgical treatments. Despite the importance of this step in the procedure, there is a risk that information may not be properly conveyed to the patient under time pressure. Recently, various electronic consents have been used for surgeries, tests, and treatments. This study aimed to examine the efficacy of video consents in enhancing patients’ understanding and satisfaction in procedures performed at pain centers.
Methods
Patients visiting the Pain Centre at Seoul National University Bundang and receiving transforaminal epidural steroid injections for low back pain who agreed to participate in the study were included. Patients were randomly allocated to either the video consent group (group V) or the conventional paper consent group (group P) by double-blinding.
After obtaining each informed consent, outcomes were measured using a 10-item questionnaire to assess comprehension of the procedure and a State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) short-answer questionnaire taken immediately before the procedure. After the procedure, we measured the level of satisfaction in the recovery room. Satisfaction was assessed using a 5-point scale ranging from 5 to 25.
Results
Of the 30 patients, 15 were assigned to the video consent group(Group V) and 15 to the conventional paper consent group(Group P). The results showed that the mean comprehension score in the group V was significantly higher than in the group P(8.4 ± 0.84 vs. 7.3 ± 0.95, p < 0.05). The questions with the highest percentage of incorrect answers were question No. 4 (30% Group V vs. 45% Group P), question No.5 (30% Group V vs. 30% Group P), and question No. 6 (25% Group V vs. 40% Group P). However, no statistically significant differences were found in anxiety levels (15.5 ± 0.25 vs 17.7 ± 2.91, p=0.087) or satisfaction scores (22.7 ± 2.50 vs 23.9 ± 1.91, p=0.243).
Conclusions
The use of video consents proved to be more effective in enhancing patients’ comprehension of the transforaminal epidural steroid injection procedure compared to conventional paper consents. While there was an observed decrease in anxiety with video consents, it was not statistically significant. Satisfaction levels did not show a significant difference between the two groups. As this study was a pilot, the limited number of patients might have affected the clarity of results. However, based on the current findings, video consents seem beneficial in improving patient understanding and reducing anxiety.
References
1. Vo, T., Ngai, P., Tao, J., 2018. A randomized trial of multimedia-facilitated informed consent for cataract surgery. OPTH Volume 12, 1427–1432.
2. Abujarad, F., Peduzzi, P., Mun, S., Carlson, K., Edwards, C., Dziura, J., Brandt, C., Alfano, S., Chupp, G., 2021. Comparing a multimedia digital informed consent tool with traditional paper-based methods: randomized controlled trial. JMIR Formative Research 5, e20458.
3. Hung, S.-Y., Huang, K.-L., Yu, W.-J., 2011. An empirical study of the effectiveness of multimedia disclosure of informed consent: A technology mediated learning perspective. Information & Management 48, 135–144.
Presenting Author
Sunmin Kim
Poster Authors
Sun Min Kim
Dr.
Seoul National University Bundang Hospital
Lead Author
Topics
- Education