The use of a video to convey preanesthetic information to patients undergoing ambulatory surgery

Abstract

In a prospective, randomized, single-blind trial, we assessed the effectiveness of a preoperative video as a source of additional patient information before ambulatory surgery. One hundred twenty-seven patients were allocated to either treatment (video) or control (nonvideo) groups. Of the 127, 17 (13%) patients correctly answered all process, risk, and misconception statements using a questionnaire. Overall, the video group was 2-16 times more likely to recall all knowledge questions correctly than the nonvideo group after adjusting for previous general anesthesia experience, state (how one feels at the moment), and trait (how one generally feels) anxiety levels (relative risk 6.36, 95% confidence interval 2.01-15.82). The predictors of correct risk knowledge were those who had a video intervention (relative risk 7.12, 95% confidence interval 3.70 to 10.07) and low trait anxiety scores (relative risk 5.88, 95% confidence interval 1.69 to 25.00). A video could be an important additional component of the preoperative interview, but anesthesiologists will still need to provide patient-specific information.

Implications: This study randomly allocated adults to see a video about anesthesia before scheduled ambulatory surgery. The video group had better recall of information. The video was a useful adjunct to routine preoperative consultations.