An educational video increases disease-related knowledge in hospitalized patients with decompensated cirrhosis

The Cirrhosis Care Alberta (CCAB) Project has created an expert-guided educational video for patients with decompensated cirrhosis. The effect of this video on improving disease-related knowledge in patients with decompensated cirrhosis has yet to be determined.

In-patients with decompensated cirrhosis were prospectively recruited between November 2022 and August 2023. A pre-post-intervention design employing a questionnaire on managing complications of decompensated cirrhosis was used to evaluate whether the CCAB educational video was effective in improving disease-related knowledge, the primary outcome. Baseline knowledge was defined as preintervention questionnaire scores. Learning was defined as the difference between postintervention and preintervention questionnaire scores. Follow-up occurred 30 days when the same questionnaire was readministered. Univariate and multivariate regression analyses evaluated if any participant demographics and disease-related characteristics predicted baseline knowledge or learning.

Fifty participants were included. Study participants were predominantly biologically male (62%), aged 40-75 (78%), and had an average of 2.4 (SD: 2.8) prior cirrhosis-related hospitalizations. The mean baseline knowledge score among participants was 62% (SD: 17.3). The mean questionnaire scores following the educational video rose to 72.5% (SD: 20.2%, p < 0.001). Sixteen (32%) participants completed the 30-day follow-up questionnaire with a mean score of 78.8% (SD: 14.7, p = 0.02). Univariate analysis demonstrated that age, number of prior cirrhosis-related hospitalizations, and number of decompensating events predicted baseline knowledge scores (p values < 0.05).

The CCAB educational video is effective in improving disease-related knowledge scores. Further investigation evaluating this effect on clinical outcomes is needed.