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Enhancing patient engagement through an online educational module for gender-affirming mastectomy: A pilot study
Nina R Mehta1, Matthew Mclaughlin2, Israel Falade2
1University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine, USA.
Background And Purpose:
Patients seeking gender-affirming mastectomy (GAM) frequently encounter barriers to care, including limited access to accurate and comprehensive preoperative education regarding surgical options. We conducted a pilot study to evaluate the effectiveness of an online educational module in improving patient understanding of GAM, reducing procedure-related anxiety, and increasing satisfaction with the surgical consultation.
Methods:
We developed a standardized online educational module delivering expert-reviewed information on GAM. Patients presenting for initial GAM consultation were randomly assigned using a computer-generated sequence to either a control arm (consultation only) or an intervention arm (consultation plus educational module). The consulting surgeon was blinded to group allocation. Pre- and post-consultation surveys assessed surgical readiness, encompassing procedural knowledge and anxiety, using a 7-point Likert scale. Post-consultation satisfaction was also evaluated. Statistical analyses included the Mann-Whitney U Test, chi-squared or Fisher's exact tests, and two-way repeated measures ANOVA with Bonferroni-corrected post hoc analyses.
Results:
Thirty-six patients were enrolled (18 intervention; 18 control). The intervention group had significantly higher post-consultation surgical readiness scores compared with their own pre-consultation scores (p=0.0002) and with post-consultation scores in the control group (p=0.0032). Post-consultation satisfaction scores were higher in the intervention arm, although this difference did not reach statistical significance (p=0.0579). All patients in the control group indicated that an additional educational resource would have been helpful.
Conclusion:
In this pilot study, an online educational module for GAM significantly improved patient-reported surgical readiness and reduced perioperative anxiety. This approach enhances patient preparedness and promotes shared surgical decision-making. Larger studies are needed to confirm these findings and assess the effect of preoperative education on perioperative outcomes.
