Effect of lumbar puncture educational video on parental knowledge and self-reported intended practice

Lumbar puncture (LP) remains an essential diagnostic procedure for neurological and infectious diseases. However, it remains a source of anxiety to patients and families. This research aimed to assess the impact of a newly developed educational simplified video about LP, in the parents' native language, that is tailored to their social background and beliefs and to assess whether it can facilitate their consent for the procedure.

This prospective, interventional study was conducted at the outpatient pediatric clinics at a teaching hospital. The conventional arm used verbal explanation about LP. The second method utilized a standardized video, having the same information as the conventional arm, with streaming of graphic depictions. Parents' knowledge and perceived LP risks were measured before and after the intervention.

Two hundred and one parents were enrolled, with no significant differences in the socio-demographic and baseline characteristics. Both verbal and video-based counseling were found to provide a statistically significant increase in knowledge scores, and a Wilcoxon signed-rank test showed that knowledge gains for both groups were statistically significant (Verbal Explanation: W = 2693, n = 83, P < .001 and Video: W = 5538, n = 117, P < .001). However, the conventional verbal counseling resulted in more consistent gain of knowledge (SD = 14.5) as compared to the video group (SD = 18.94). The video group reported higher perceived risk (Mean 8.2, SD 3.59) than the verbal explanation group (Mean 7.12, SD 2.51). The less educated parents perceived LP procedure to be of significantly higher risk after watching the video (P < .001). It was found that 73.6% of persons with perceived intention to refuse LP changed their opinion after either of the counseling interventions, with significant opinion difference pre- and post-counseling intervention (P value .002).

Video education in parents' native language about LP is as effective as conventional verbal education for informed consent, with the additional advantage of reproducibility and more illustrations to give parents better insight. However, this video should be followed by direct interaction with parents to ensure their full understanding and address any further concerns.