Video Education to Improve Shared Decision-Making in Breast Surgical Oncology

BackgroundA key component of shared decision-making (SDM) is education that is specific to and easily understood by a patient. Delivering complex information through a visual medium such as video is a natural progression.MethodsThis study aims to assess the impact of adding customized video education to traditional surgical consent procedures on patient preparation for breast cancer surgery. A web-based tool, https://www.vidoceo.com/, was developed to create and deliver video education. Video education is customized to address indications, procedures, and risks for patients and their surgery. After the initial surgical consultation, each patient received an educational video in English or Spanish electronically. The CollaboRATE score evaluated shared decision-making. The study supplements, but does not replace, established procedures for surgical informed consent.ResultsData from 69 breast cancer surgery patients (42 English and 27 Spanish) who received surgery-specific educational videos over 1 year were included. CollaboRATE top scores were achieved in 74% and 78% of English and Spanish speakers, respectively (P = 0.9). Spanish speakers found the videos less easy to understand (P = 0.04). Overall, 94% believed video education aided decision-making, and 98% expressed wanting video education in future surgical preparation.DiscussionVideo education as a supplementary surgical consent tool is promising in enhancing shared decision-making and patient preparation for surgery. The positive feedback on video education reinforces the value of multimedia approaches in patient education. These results encourage further exploration of innovative strategies to improve the informed consent process.