Effectiveness of Audiovisual Versus Written Postoperative Instructions for Patients Undergoing Minor Hand Procedures

Effectiveness of Audiovisual Versus Written Postoperative Instructions for Patients Undergoing Minor Hand Procedures: a Prospective Controlled Trial

The utility and effectiveness of video-based instructions (VBI) versus standard written instructions was not previously investigated in hand surgery; thus, the objective of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of audiovisual instruction as compared to regular verbal instructions given to patients undergoing common hand procedures, including instruction recall and compliance, patient education, patient satisfaction with the information given, patient satisfaction with operative experience.

Study Overview

• Status: Not yet recruiting
• Conditions: Carpal Tunnel Syndrome; Trigger Finger; Hand Cyst Ganglion

Detailed Description

Outcomes of hand surgery are greatly dependent on factors outside the operating theater as well. These include patient compliance to preoperative instructions that consist of proper surgical site care, proper positioning, and following occupational therapy protocols. Previous studies have shown that video-based information provide greater patient satisfaction than verbal instructions. Visual information was also reported to decrease patient anxiety regarding the procedure and increases patient education in terms of procedure risks and benefits(1-5). The utility and effectiveness of video-based instructions (VBI) versus standard written instructions was not previously investigated in hand surgery; thus, the objective of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of audiovisual instruction as compared to regular verbal instructions given to patients undergoing common hand procedures, including instruction recall and compliance, patient education, patient satisfaction with the information given, patient satisfaction with operative experience. The secondary objective is to evaluate if VBI result in better outcomes than standard written instructions.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Estimated): 120
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

• Study Contact: Name: Rawan ElAbd, MD MSc; Phone Number: 514-934-8025; Email: plastic.surgery@muhc.mcgill.ca

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: Adult; Older Adult
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

Please ensure that ALL items below are satisfied to be included in the study.

• Patient undergoing hand and/or upper extremity surgery with Dr. Thibaudeau
• Patient ≥ 18 years old
• Patient who comprehends instructions provided in English and/or French
• Patient who can navigate the internet to complete an online post-operative questionnaire

Exclusion Criteria:

Please ensure that NONE of the following items are selected to be included in the study.

• Patient presenting with intra-articular, open, or pathological fractures
• Patient presenting with associated tendon or nerve injuries
• Patient receiving definitive surgery ≥21 days after injury
• Patient with previous surgeries/deformity in the hand
• Patient with pre-existing severe joint disease (rheumatoid arthritis, finger joint stiffness, or non-union)
• Patient with medical contraindications to surgery
• Patient who is unable to comply with rehabilitation
• Patient who is unwilling to be followed up
• Patient with dementia
• Patient with significant mental illness
• Patient who is unable to provide informed consent

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Supportive Care
• Allocation: Randomized
• Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
• Masking: None (Open Label)

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
patient satisfaction with the operative experience	Questionnaire to assess patient satisfaction with the operative experience will be distributed within a week in post operative visit	within 1 week
patient instruction recall	Questionnaire to assess patient instruction recall will be distributed within a week in post operative visit. It consists of 9 questions, the maximum score is 9 and indicates excellent recall.	within 1 week
patient satisfaction with the information given	Questionnaire to assess patient satisfaction with the information givenwill be distributed within a week in post operative visit Overall, are you satisfied with the provided post-operative instructions for your hand surgery? Likert-scale 1-10 (with smile face) Overall, were the provided post-operative instructions for your hand surgery easy to understand? Likert-scale 1-10 (with smile face) Overall, did the provided post-operative instructions for your hand surgery had the appropriate amount of information? Likert-scale 1-10 (with smile face)	within 1 week
patient compliance	Questionnaire to assess patient instruction compliance will be distributed within a week in post operative visit. It consists of 13 questions, each with a score, with 13 being thre maximum patient compliance.	within 1 week

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Nursing staff patient experience	Nursing staff will be asked to present which patients reached out to clinic number/email with questions and if the instrutions decreased the incidence of such Assessed as binomial outcome Have you called your surgeon's office post-operatively regarding any unexpected post-operative course? Yes No Unsure	within 3 months
Dash Scores	Questionnaire to assess patient outcome will be distributed within a week in post operative visit Quick dash score QuickDASH DISABILITY/SYMPTOM SCORE= (sum of n responses) - 1 x 25, wherenis equal to the number of completed responses.	within 1 week

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: McGill University Health Centre/Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Estimated): September 19, 2024
• Primary Completion (Estimated): September 19, 2025
• Study Completion (Estimated): January 2, 2026

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: August 29, 2024
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: August 30, 2024
• First Posted (Actual): September 3, 2024

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): September 3, 2024
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: August 30, 2024
• Last Verified: August 1, 2024

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Nervous System Diseases; Wounds and Injuries; Musculoskeletal Diseases; Muscular Diseases; Neuromuscular Diseases; Mononeuropathies; Peripheral Nervous System Diseases; Median Neuropathy; Nerve Compression Syndromes; Cumulative Trauma Disorders; Sprains and Strains; Tendinopathy; Tendon Entrapment; Carpal Tunnel Syndrome; Trigger Finger Disorder
• Other Study ID Numbers: 2025-10990

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: UNDECIDED

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No
• product manufactured in and exported from the U.S.: No