Standardized Patient Education in Pituitary Surgery

May 24, 2026 updated by: AKİF BULUT, Uludag University

The Impact of Standardized Patient Education on Patient Outcomes in Transsphenoidal Pituitary Surgery

Protocols are being developed and implemented to ensure the best possible recovery process for patients undergoing transsphenoidal surgery, and their impact on patient outcomes is being evaluated. In studies where perioperative protocols-including patient education (verbal and written instruction on dehydration, hyponatremia, adrenal insufficiency, CSF leakage, meningitis, and the signs and symptoms of visual or other neurological disorders)-are implemented, it has been reported that patients' length of hospital stay is reduced, the rate of patients experiencing hyponatremia has decreased, and readmissions have declined (Sanchez-Garavito et al., 2024; Sarris et al., 2021). However, since these studies included protocols covering the entire surgical process-not just patient education-it is difficult to determine whether changes in patient outcomes stem from patient education or from alterations in other parameters within the protocol.

Therefore, in the clinic where this study will be conducted, the effect of patient education on postoperative patient outcomes will be examined by developing an educational material that standardizes patient education, without making any changes to the surgical or pharmacological processes.

Study Overview

Status

Not yet recruiting

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Estimated)

102

Phase

  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Contact

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Adult
  • Older Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Admitted for elective surgery due to a pituitary tumor.
  • Has not previously undergone surgery for the same medical condition.
  • Has voluntarily agreed to participate in the study.
  • Has no missing medical data.
  • Can speak Turkish or understand what is being explained.
  • Patients aged 18 and older.

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Emergency surgery will be performed.
  • Revision surgery will be performed.
  • Those who voluntarily decline to participate in the study.
  • Those with incomplete medical data.
  • Those who cannot speak or understand Turkish.
  • Patients under the age of 18.

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

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

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
Active Comparator: Education group
The standardized educational material to be used with the training group was developed by the researchers through a literature review and includes evidence-based recommendations that patients should follow after pituitary surgery. The educational material and the sources used to create it are included in the appendix. Before providing education to patients in the intervention group, nurses and resident physicians working in neurosurgery will receive in-person training on the rationale and details of the material. Patients will be included in the education program starting from their preoperative hospital admission; the content of the educational material will be explained by a nurse, and a visual copy will be provided to both the patient and their caregiver. Additionally, the material will be posted in a clearly visible location in the patient's room.
Other: Standardized Pituitary Training
The standardized educational material to be used with the training group was developed by the researchers through a literature review and includes evidence-based recommendations that patients should follow after pituitary surgery. The educational material and the sources used to create it are included in the appendix. Before providing education to patients in the intervention group, nurses and resident physicians working in neurosurgery will receive in-person training on the rationale and details of the material. Patients will be included in the education program starting from their preoperative hospital admission; the content of the educational material will be explained by a nurse, and a visual copy will be provided to both the patient and their caregiver. Additionally, the material will be posted in a clearly visible location in the patient's room.
No Intervention: Control group
The control group for this study will consist of former patients who underwent pituitary surgery at the Neurosurgery Clinic prior to the start of this scientific study. Routine post-operative care at the clinic following pituitary surgery is as follows: patients who have undergone pituitary surgery are provided with information about the surgical process by the attending physician prior to surgery, and their voluntary written consent is obtained. After surgery, the physician, resident, and nurse provide verbal instructions to the patient regarding constipation and precautions related to the nose; however, no standardized written educational materials are used.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Time Frame
The total time from admission to discharge for patients who received standardized patient education in transsphenoidal pituitary surgery
Time Frame: "From the registration phase through to the end of the 52-week training program"
"From the registration phase through to the end of the 52-week training program"

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Time Frame
Complication rates (meningitis, hyponatremia, CSF leak) and rates of unplanned readmission among patients who received standardized training in transsphenoidal pituitary surgery during their hospital stay.
Time Frame: From the registration phase through to the end of the 52-week training program
From the registration phase through to the end of the 52-week training program

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Uludag University

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Estimated)

June 1, 2026

Primary Completion (Estimated)

June 1, 2027

Study Completion (Estimated)

September 1, 2027

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

May 24, 2026

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

May 24, 2026

First Posted (Actual)

June 1, 2026

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

June 1, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

May 24, 2026

Last Verified

May 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • 2026-8/11

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

NO

IPD Plan Description

Due to the ethics committee's decision regarding the conduct of the study, the data will not be publicly disclosed. However, the data will be shared if a reasonable justification is provided.

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

Clinical Trials on Pituitary Adenoma

Clinical Trials on Standardized Pituitary Training

Search Similar Trials

Sponsors and Collaborators

Medical Conditions

Drug Interventions

CROs by country

CROs in Liberia

Conditions

Rare Diseases

Drug Interventions

Dietary Supplements

Sponsor/Collaborators

Locations

Subscribe