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Patient information and education

Related theory

Patients undergoing surgery have information and supportive care needs before and after their surgery. Providing information to patients is considered a crucial element of their surgical pathway. Patients require information that is meaningful for them as individuals. It is necessary to educate patients on the nature of the benefits and risks of procedures so they can be involved in the decision‐making process and enabled to give fully informed consent. Accurate, reliable and complete information plays a pivotal role in helping patients to make informed decisions.

Evidence‐based approaches

Principles of care

The way in which information is delivered and understood will help to determine whether a patient's actual post‐operative experiences are congruent with the expected ones. Therefore, it is essential that information is provided at the right time and in a variety of formats. Information materials must contain scientifically reliable information and be presented in a form that is acceptable and useful to patients (i.e. suitable for the patient's educational level).

Providing patient education has been found to be extremely beneficial by reducing anxiety levels and promoting wellbeing (Guo [72]), which may ultimately result in patients requiring less analgesia. It is important that any form of education is tailored to individual patients. There are currently three main forms of patient education: face to face, paper based and web based (Table 16.3).

Table 16.3 Forms of patient education

Patient education	Definition	Advantages	Disadvantages
Face to face	Includes any education delivered verbally by a healthcare provider to a single patient or group of patients. This remains the most common form of patient education. See ‘Verbal communication’ below.	Can be tailored to individual patient needs	Time consuming Consistency problems Relies on the patient's ability to absorb, understand and retain the verbal information
Paper based	Includes any written information, such as patient information leaflets.	Can develop comprehensive educational materials that are consistently presented Patients can refer back to the materials	Unable to tailor to individual patient needs
Web based	Includes any verbal or written patient information. Examples include web‐based seminars, patient groups, programmes of care, interactive websites, podcasts, and videos (e.g. on YouTube).	Wide‐ranging and current information Variety of teaching formats Patient empowerment: patients can search for information themselves, look up research and help to generate questions for healthcare professionals. Available 24 hours a day Can develop comprehensive educational materials that are consistently presented Patients can refer back to the materials Can be accessed all over the world	Potential for inaccurate information Lack of access Poor quality of online resources Security and privacy issues

Verbal communication

Any verbal information should be supported by paper‐based or web‐based written information from reliable, evidence‐based sources and tailored to the patient's educational level. Written patient information in particular can:

help patients to gain a greater understanding of surgery and what is expected of them
ensure patients arrive on time and are properly prepared for surgery (e.g. pre‐operative fasting)
increase patient confidence, improving their overall experience
refamiliarize patients with what they have already been told
enhance patient and carer involvement in the patient's treatment and condition.