Educational Informed Consent Video in Neurosurgery

Educational Informed Consent Video in Neurosurgery: A Randomized Controlled Trial

This single-center randomized controlled trial addresses a critical gap in neurosurgical practice by evaluating the effectiveness of video-assisted informed consent compared to standard consent procedures.

Importance: Informed consent in neurosurgery faces unique challenges due to procedural complexity and limited clinical time, with traditional methods often resulting in suboptimal patient comprehension.

Objective: To determine whether preoperative educational videos improve patient comprehension and satisfaction compared to standard consent procedures in neurosurgical patients.

Design: Single-center, non-blinded randomized controlled trial. Patients are randomized (1:1) using opaque envelope methods.

Setting: Department of Neurosurgery, Kantonsspital St. Gallen, Switzerland. Intervention: Video group receives individualized educational videos plus standard consent. Control group receives standard consent only. Videos coveres surgical indication, anatomy, procedural details, and risks.

Main Outcomes and Measures: Primary outcomes: patient comprehension via standardized questionnaires, satisfaction with consent process, psychological distress (Patient Health Questionnaire-4). Assessments conducted preoperatively and postoperatively.

Inclusion Criteria:

• The study population comprises adult patients scheduled for elective neurosurgical intracranial tumor resection

Exclusion Criteria:

• Patients requiring emergency surgery
• Patients with cognitive impairments preventing informed consent
• Patients with significant language barriers impeding effective communication