Development and Assessment of a Video-Based Intervention to Improve Rhinoplasty Informed Consent

Overview

The study set out to supplement the traditional verbal consent process with an educational video. One author attended 30 rhinoplasty consultations and generated 65 questions about the benefits, risks, alternatives and general knowledge of the operation. The senior author was filmed answering them and the footage was edited to 25 minutes. Patients watched it before their initial consultation and completed two surveys.

Sections of note

• Video development plus a survey study; post video surveys were completed by 40 patients.
• Patients strongly agreed the video informed them about risks and benefits, 4.90 out of 5.00.
• They agreed it effectively answered their questions or concerns, 4.78, and provided adequate information before surgery, 4.85.
• They strongly recommended all prospective patients watch it before surgery, 4.97.
• Participants correctly answered an average of 4.00 plus or minus 0.877 of five risk recall questions.
• Recall did not differ significantly between college graduates, 4.19, and non graduates, 3.79, P equals 0.076.
• No significant correlation was found between patient age and recall, r equals minus 0.011, P equals 0.943.
• Three independent reviewers scored the video 100 percent for understandability and actionability using the Patient Education Materials Assessment Tool.

What it means for a patient

• A standardized video ensures every patient hears the same risk information rather than depending on what a consultation covers.
• Recall of risks was good but not complete, averaging four of five items.
• Education level and age did not predict recall in this group.
• Forty patients at one centre, with no comparison group receiving verbal consent alone, cannot show the video is better than standard practice.

Why this paper matters

Informed consent is a recurring theme in rhinoplasty malpractice claims, and verbal consent varies between consultations. This study tests a standardized supplement and measures what patients retain. Whether it reduces later dissatisfaction or complaints was not assessed.

Terms

• Informed consent: the process of explaining benefits, risks and alternatives before a patient agrees.
• Risk recall: how much of the risk information a patient remembers afterward.
• Patient Education Materials Assessment Tool: a scored instrument rating how understandable and usable patient materials are.
• Actionability: whether material tells the reader what they can do with the information.
• Correlation coefficient r: a measure of how strongly two variables move together.