Initial Experience with Digital Patient Briefing in Computed Tomography.

Area of Science:

• Radiology and Medical Imaging
• Health Informatics
• Patient Education

Background:

• Conventional paper documentation in medical imaging can be cumbersome and prone to data loss.
• Digital solutions offer potential for improved efficiency and data management in patient preparation for procedures.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate digital patient briefing via tablet as a viable alternative to traditional paper-based documentation.
• To assess the time efficiency and patient comprehension of digital briefing in computed tomography (CT).

Main Methods:

• 502 patients undergoing CT examinations were enrolled in a digital briefing using E-ConsentPro software on iPads.
• Data collected included briefing time, number of patient questions, and physician discussion time, analyzed across three age groups.
• Statistical significance was determined using Student's t-test.

Main Results:

• Patient briefing time averaged approximately 20 minutes, showing no significant difference across age groups.
• The number of patient questions increased with age, from 2 in younger patients to 5 in older patients.
• Physician discussion time averaged under 2 minutes and did not significantly differ between age groups.

Conclusions:

• Tablet-based digital patient briefing is a feasible and efficient method for computed tomography (CT) examinations.
• This digital approach offers advantages in document storage and minimizes data loss risk compared to paper.
• The cost-benefit analysis indicates significant improvements with digital briefing over paper-based processes.