Improving Patient Recall of Planned Intervention After Surgical Counseling: The IRIS Randomized Controlled Trial

The aim of the study was to determine whether an easy-to-read patient education card given at the preoperative visit can increase patient recall of the planned surgery.

This was a randomized controlled trial. Patients scheduled to undergo pelvic reconstructive surgery were recruited during their preoperative visits. All participants received standard surgical counseling, whereas the intervention group also received a 4 × 6 inch card highlighting the anticipated procedure. The primary outcome was correct recall of the planned surgery as measured by a preoperative questionnaire. Secondary outcomes were correct recall of the surgery postoperatively and patient satisfaction with the information provided.

One hundred twenty-eight patients were enrolled with 64 participants in each arm. One hundred twenty-seven participants were analyzed because 1 patient was lost to follow-up. No difference was found between patient demographics, including types of surgical procedures performed. There was a statistically significant improvement in preoperative recall: 30 of 63 participants (47.6%) in the intervention group answered all questions correctly versus 18 of 64 patients (28.6%) patients in the standard counseling group (P = 0.021). There was no difference in the postoperative scores between the 2 groups: 48.3% (28 of 58) and 52.5% (32 of 61) of the participants answered all questions correctly in the intervention and standard counseling only groups, respectively (P = 0.648). There was no difference in satisfaction scores, with a median score of 20 out of 20 for either group (interquartile range = 19-20).

A concise and easy-to-use education card enhanced patient preoperative recall of the proposed surgery. This difference was not sustained postoperatively. High satisfaction with the information provided was reported regardless of counseling method.