Video Consent for Upper Endoscopy and Colonoscopy Improves Patient Comprehension in a Safety-net, Multi-lingual...

The challenges of consenting for procedures are well documented and are compounded when patients have limited English proficiency (LEP). Standardized video consent has been studied, but research in gastroenterology is limited. We created educational videos in English and Spanish covering the elements of traditional consent for colonoscopy and upper endoscopy. All participants underwent traditional verbal consent and a subset viewed the language and procedure specific video. Participants from a multilingual, safety-net hospital patient population were then given a questionnaire to assess their comprehension and satisfaction. Participants who watched the video had higher comprehension scores than those who received traditional verbal consent alone. This difference persisted when data was stratified by language and procedure, and when controlled for educational level and prior procedure. Video consent improves comprehension and satisfaction for endoscopy and may mitigate some of the challenges encountered when consenting patients with LEP.