Video consent: a pilot study of informed consent in laparoscopic urology and its impact on patient satisfaction

In the current climate of increasing awareness, patients are demanding more knowledge of the operative process. We report a new protocol for consenting patients. In addition to the normal consent process, patients are invited to watch a video of the operation to gain a perspective of what is involved. We applied this novel method of consent and assessed its impact on patient satisfaction.

As part of postoperative follow-up, prospective data from 43 consecutive laparoscopic patients was obtained in the form of a self-constructed, patient-directed questionnaire regarding the consenting process. Patients were also invited to complete the Client Satisfaction Questionnaire (CSQ-8) 4 weeks after their operation. Laparoscopic workload included nephrectomy (n = 27), deroofing of cysts (n = 2), pyeloplasty (n = 6), exploration for undescended testis (n = 6), lymph node dissection (n = 1), and nephropexy (n = 1). To reduce bias, an individual independent of the team treating the patient conducted these surveys.

All study participants read the information leaflet before laparoscopic surgery, and 81% thought we should give patients the option to watch a video before their surgery. The leaflet information was understood by 92% of patients. All patients who opted to watch a video found it helpful to their understanding, and 75% requested a copy of the video of their own operation. The mean patient satisfaction (CSQ-8) score was 29.8 of a possible maximum score of 32.

This novel approach to informed consent has had a positive impact on the patient journey as is evident from high satisfaction scores. Additional randomized, controlled trials need to be conducted to evaluate video consenting methods in laparoscopic urology.