A randomized, controlled trial of video supplementation on the cataract surgery informed consent process

To assess the effects of the American Academy of Ophthalmology’s 2015 patient education video on patient information retention and anxiety preoperatively, on the day of surgery and postoperatively.

This is a prospective, surgeon-blinded randomized controlled trial at the University of Chicago Medical Center. Ninety-one patients with a diagnosis of first-eye cataract were randomized into either a video or control group. Subjects in both groups received face-to-face discussion with the surgeon and an informational brochure at the preoperative evaluation. Participants in the video group then viewed a four-minute educational video at the preoperative evaluation and on the day of surgery. Both groups completed an information retention quiz and a state anxiety assessment at the preoperative visit, on the day of surgery, and on the postoperative week one visit. Subject understanding of cataract surgery was measured using a twelve-question multiple choice quiz. State anxiety was measured by State Trait Anxiety Inventory-Y1 survey score.

Participants in the video group did not score significantly higher on the information retention quiz compared with the control group at the preoperative evaluation (8.7 ± 2.4 vs 7.7 ± 2.5, P = 0.07), but did so on the day of surgery (11.2 ± 0.8 vs 8.4 ± 1.7, P < 0.001) and postoperative week 1 visit (10.8 ± 1.5 vs 9.0 ± 2.0, P < 0.001). Subjects in the video group were significantly less anxious on the day of surgery (26.4 ± 5.1 vs 41.1 ± 10.3, P < 0.001).

Video supplementation to the traditional informed consent process demonstrated an improvement in patient understanding of cataract surgery at multiple timepoints and decreased anxiety on the day of surgery.