title: The effects of preoperative, video-assisted anesthesia education in Spanish on Spanish-speaking patients' anxiety, knowledge, and satisfaction: a pilot study.
abstract: We studied the effect of an instructional video in Spanish on self-reported anxiety, knowledge about general anesthesia procedures, and satisfaction with the preoperative anesthesia process in patients requiring a Spanish interpreter. This prospective, randomized, nonblinded pilot study took place at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH), a university-affiliated tertiary-care hospital. Twenty adult, ASA physical status 1, 2, and 3 patients, scheduled for elective surgery (gynecological, orthopedic, and intrabdominal surgery) during general anesthesia were studied. Anxiety, knowledge, and patient satisfaction were assessed using a visual analog scale (VAS). There was a significant reduction in anxiety score in patients who viewed the video compared with those who did not (median reduction 2 vs 0; P = 0.020). There was an increase in satisfaction score in the video group (median increase 2 vs 0; P = 0.046). There was no difference in reported knowledge-improvement scores between the two groups (3.5 vs 4; P = 0.908). In Spanish-speaking patients, the addition of an instructional video in Spanish to a preanesthesia interview decreased anxiety and increased patient satisfaction.
authors.affiliation: Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA. Electronic address: amy_west@hms.harvard.edu.
authors.forename: Amy M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: West
authors.affiliation: Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA; Department of Anesthesia, Critical Care & Pain Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA 02114, USA.
authors.forename: Edward A
authors.initials: EA
authors.lastname: Bittner
authors.affiliation: Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA; Department of Anesthesia, Critical Care & Pain Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA 02114, USA.
authors.forename: Vilma E
authors.initials: VE
authors.lastname: Ortiz
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000768:Anesthesia, General / Q000379:methods* / Q000523:psychology; D001007:Anxiety / Q000209:etiology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D017558:Elective Surgical Procedures / Q000379:methods; D005260:Female; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D007802:Language; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010353:Patient Education as Topic / Q000379:methods*; D017060:Patient Satisfaction; D010865:Pilot Projects; D011300:Preoperative Care / Q000379:methods; D011446:Prospective Studies; D014743:Videotape Recording
keywords: General anesthesia; Limited English proficiency (LEP); Patient anxiety, preoperative; Preoperative interview; Spanish-speaking patients; Video instruction