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A Comparison of Preoperative Telephone Call Versus Mailed Educational Materials on Patient-Reported Outcomes in Mohs
Savannah L Taylor1, Eugenie Y Quan1, Ellen Rachel S Lockhart2
1Section of Dermatology, Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine, Roanoke, Virginia.
Background:
Preoperative education has uncertain benefits on the preparedness and satisfaction of patients undergoing Mohs micrographic surgery (MMS).
Objective:
We sought to determine the effect of a preoperative telephone call on preparedness and satisfaction in patients undergoing same-day office consultation and MMS.
Materials And Methods:
All new patients ( N = 208) scheduled for same-day office consultation and MMS were mailed a standardized preoperative packet. Approximately half of those patients were randomly selected to also receive a preoperative phone call. On the day of the surgery, patients completed an anonymous preoperative and postoperative survey assessing their preparedness and satisfaction with the preoperative education received.
Results:
There was no significant difference in patient preparedness between the letter only (LO) and phone call and letter study groups. There was a significant difference in preoperative satisfaction-a higher percentage of LO patients were "somewhat satisfied" or "not satisfied" with the preoperative education received ( p = .013).
Conclusion:
Preoperative phone consultation, in addition to mailed educational materials, did not have a statistically significant effect on patient preparedness in patients undergoing MMS; however, there was a trend toward increased satisfaction with the preoperative education provided in patients who received a preoperative phone call.
