A web-based tutorial can increase a patient's understanding of knee surgery and also result in better patient experience, according to a new study published in the Journal of Bone & Joint Surgery.
Here are six notes:
1. Researchers randomly assigned patients into two groups — a control group that received standard preoperative counseling and an intervention group that completed a 20-minute web-based tutorial in addition to standard counseling.
2. Of the 64 patients enrolled in the study, 55 were included in the final data analysis.
3. Patients were asked to rate their level of knowledge and satisfaction at various points of the surgery using a 10-point scale, with 10 being most informed.
4. Preoperatively, the intervention group had a mean score of 9.1 whereas the control group had a mean score of 6. Thus, it was clear that the intervention group felt significantly more informed about and prepared for the surgery.
5. On the day of the surgery, the intervention group patients continued to feel more informed about the surgery than the control group and were more satisfied.
6. Postoperatively, knowledge assessment showed that intervention group patients were significantly more likely to accurately identify which meniscus had been operated on. They were also more likely to know whether a chondroplasty had been performed.
