• Cornelie Salzwedel, Corinna Petersen, Irmgard Blanc, Uwe Koch, Alwin E Goetz, and Martin Schuster.
• Department of Anesthesiology, University Hospital Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany.
• Anesth. Analg. 2008 Jan 1;106(1):202-9, table of contents.

BackgroundVideo-assisted patient education during the preanesthetic clinic visit is a new intervention to increase knowledge transfer to the patient regarding anesthesia procedure and risks. However, little is known about whether video-based patient education influences patient anxiety and the duration of the preanesthetic visit.MethodsTwo hundred nine consecutive patients, who visited the anesthesia clinic before major operations, were randomly assigned to one of three groups: no-video (Group 1), video-before-interview (Group 2), and video-after-interview (Group 3). Anxiety levels were measured before and after the interview using the state trait anxiety inventory and a visual analog scale (anxiety). Patient knowledge regarding anesthesia technique, anesthesia-related risks, and patient satisfaction were assessed after the interview using standardized questionnaires.ResultsThere were no significant differences in anxiety levels and patient satisfaction among the three groups. Patient knowledge was significantly higher in the video groups compared with the no-video group. The duration of the preanesthetic interview was significantly extended in Group 2 (video-before) (23.1 +/- 14.0 min), compared with Group 1 (no-video) (17.6 +/- 7.2 min), and Group 3 (video-after) (18.3 +/- 9.6 min). This difference was even more profound in subgroups of patients scheduled for anesthesia techniques with invasive monitoring.ConclusionOur study suggests that the use of a video for detailed anesthesia risk education does not change patient anxiety, but leads to a better understanding of the procedure and risks of anesthesia. When the video is shown before the preanesthetic interview, the interview is longer.

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