Animated Video versus Written Leaflet for Preoperative Kidney Transplant Education: A Randomized Comparative Study

To compare an animated educational video with a content-matched written leaflet, each delivered alongside standard verbal counselling, for their effects on procedural knowledge and preoperative anxiety in kidney transplant candidates and prospective living donors.

In this prospective, randomized, two-arm comparative study, 130 adult KT candidates and prospective living donors were allocated 1:1 to a video group or a content-matched written leaflet group, both in addition to standardized verbal information. Procedural knowledge was assessed using a seven-item questionnaire, with lower scores indicating fewer incorrect answers, and preoperative anxiety was evaluated using the Amsterdam Preoperative Anxiety and Information Scale (APAIS) before and after the intervention. Satisfaction, modality preference, and material quality, by the Patient Education Materials Assessment Tool (PEMAT) and Atesman readability, were also evaluated.

Baseline demographic and clinical characteristics were comparable between the groups. Across the cohort, education significantly reduced the median number of incorrect answers from 3 (2-5) to 1 (0-2) and the median APAIS score from 17 (10-22) to 11 (7-18) (both p<0.001). Direct comparison revealed no significant differences between the video and written groups regarding post-test knowledge (p=0.433), APAIS score (p=0.220), or satisfaction (p=0.939). Most participants preferred combined audiovisual and written education (66.2% and 80.0% in the video and written groups, respectively).

Both modalities, added to verbal counselling, significantly improved knowledge and reduced preoperative anxiety, with neither demonstrating superiority over the other. The preference for a combined audiovisual-and-written approach supports the use of multimodal preoperative education in KT.