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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

Status
Not yet recruiting
Phases
NA
Study type
Interventional
Source
ClinicalTrials.gov
Registry ID
NCT06582550
Enrollment
120
Registered
2024-09-03
Start date
2024-09-19
Completion date
2026-01-02
Last updated
2024-09-03

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, Hand Cyst Ganglion, Trigger Finger

Brief summary

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.

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.

Interventions

PROCEDUREMinor Hand Procedure

Unilateral minor hand procedure (carpal tunnel release, trigger finger A1 pulley release, lesion excision)

Sponsors

McGill University Health Centre/Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre
Lead SponsorOTHER

Study design

Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
SUPPORTIVE_CARE
Masking
NONE

Intervention model description

Note that the surgical intervention is the same in both study arms. The comparison is in regards to the post-operative instructions with the aim of quality improvement.

Eligibility

Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
18 Years to No maximum
Healthy volunteers
No

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

Design outcomes

Primary

MeasureTime frameDescription
patient satisfaction with the operative experiencewithin 1 weekQuestionnaire to assess patient satisfaction with the operative experience will be distributed within a week in post operative visit
patient instruction recallwithin 1 weekQuestionnaire 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.
patient satisfaction with the information givenwithin 1 weekQuestionnaire 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)
patient compliancewithin 1 weekQuestionnaire 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.

Secondary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Nursing staff patient experiencewithin 3 monthsNursing 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
Dash Scoreswithin 1 weekQuestionnaire 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.

Contacts

Primary ContactRawan ElAbd, MD MSc
plastic.surgery@muhc.mcgill.ca514-934-8025

Outcome results

None listed

Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · Data processed: Feb 4, 2026