Why Patient Education Leads to Better Outcomes

Patient education is a way to create awareness and empower patients to be involved in any important decisions regarding their care plan. Throughout the years, patient education has evolved from creating public health awareness of infectious and chronic diseases to what it is today -- where there are laws in place to ensure that patients receive complete information about a diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis. 

There are multiple modalities to offer patient education, including handouts, manuals, booklets, and in-person classes. Although these methods provide comprehensive and evidence-based information, they are not always convenient or easily digestible. 

Digitalized patient education, such as using videos, can be an advantageous way to ensure patients comprehend the materials. Not only can videos be more entertaining, but they can make the content easier to grasp for those with lower literacy levels. Digitalized patient education also allows patients to access the information as frequently as they need prior to their procedure. In addition, patients can conveniently watch the videos from the comfort of their own home without struggling with the logistics of getting to a care center.

One retrospective study compared preoperative patient education in patients who underwent a total knee arthroplasty to patients who did not receive education prior to their procedure. The results showed a statistically significant difference, with control patients (p = 0.03) having a higher rate of in-hospital falls than those in the education group.^[1] Preoperative patient education also proved to significantly reduce the length of stay, by approximately 1.0 days, for those undergoing total hip and knee arthroplasty procedures.^[2]

In addition to reduced postoperative fall rates and shorter hospital stays, there are further benefits of implementing preoperative patient education programs at your practice, including:

• Cost savings ^[3,4]
• Improved quality of life ^[4]
• Improved postoperative PROMS ^[5]
• Decreased quantity of opioid use ^[6,7]
• Decreased postoperative pain ^[6,8]
• Enhanced mood/sense of well-being ^[7]
• Reduced anxiety ^{[8, 9, 10, 11]}
• Higher patient satisfaction ^[8,12]
• Less sought-after medical attention ^[12]

PatientIQ is a staunch advocate for the power of education and believes that with modern technology, we can help your organization achieve all the benefits of education without the historical drawbacks. In addition, our patient education videos will better prepare your patients and lead to significantly improved postoperative outcomes.

Contact Us

Please contact us at hello@patientiq.io or request a demo from our website to learn more about the platform!

Citations

1. Clarke, H. D., Timm, V. L., Goldberg, B. R., & Hattrup, S. J. (2012). Preoperative patient education reduces in-hospital falls after total knee arthroplasty. Clinical orthopaedics and related research, 470(1), 244–249. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11999-011-1951-6
2. Yoon, R. S., Nellans, K. W., Geller, J. A., Kim, A. D., Jacobs, M. R., & Macaulay, W. (2010). Patient education before hip or knee arthroplasty lowers length of stay. The Journal of arthroplasty, 25(4), 547–551. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.arth.2009.03.012
3. Moulton, L. S., Evans, P. A., Starks, I., & Smith, T. (2015). Preoperative education prior to elective hip arthroplasty surgery improves postoperative outcome. International orthopaedics, 39(8), 1483–1486. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00264-015-2754-2
4. Danielsen, A. K., Burcharth, J., & Rosenberg, J. (2013). Patient education has a positive effect in patients with a stoma: a systematic review. Colorectal disease : the official journal of the Association of Coloproctology of Great Britain and Ireland, 15(6), e276–e283. https://doi.org/10.1111/codi.12197
5. Marques, C. J., Bohlen, K., & Lampe, F. (2021). Participation in a preoperative patient education session is a significant predictor of better WOMAC total index score and higher EQ-5D-5L health status index one year after TKA or THA: A retrospective observational study. American journal of physical medicine & rehabilitation, 10.1097/PHM.0000000000001689. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1097/PHM.0000000000001689
6. Khorfan, R., Shallcross, M. L., Yu, B., Sanchez, N., Parilla, S., Coughlin, J. M., Johnson, J. K., Bilimoria, K. Y., & Stulberg, J. J. (2020). Preoperative patient education and patient preparedness are associated with less postoperative use of opioids. Surgery, 167(5), 852–858. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.surg.2020.01.002
7. Parsa, F. D., Pavlosky, K. K., Harbison, G., Yim, N., Cheng, J., Marison, S. R., Jr, & Parsa, A. A. (2020). Effect of Preoperative Patient Education on Opioid Consumption and Well-Being in Breast Augmentation. Plastic and reconstructive surgery, 145(2), 316e–323e. https://doi.org/10.1097/PRS.0000000000006467
8. Sjöling, M., Nordahl, G., Olofsson, N., & Asplund, K. (2003). The impact of preoperative information on state anxiety, postoperative pain and satisfaction with pain management. Patient education and counseling, 51(2), 169–176. https://doi.org/10.1016/s0738-3991(02)00191-x
9. Ramesh, C., Nayak, B. S., Pai, V. B., Patil, N. T., George, A., George, L. S., & Devi, E. S. (2017). Effect of Preoperative Education on Postoperative Outcomes Among Patients Undergoing Cardiac Surgery: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Journal of perianesthesia nursing : official journal of the American Society of PeriAnesthesia Nurses, 32(6), 518–529.e2. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jopan.2016.11.011
10. Ayyadhah Alanazi A. (2014). Reducing anxiety in preoperative patients: a systematic review. British journal of nursing (Mark Allen Publishing), 23(7), 387–393. https://doi.org/10.12968/bjon.2014.23.7.387
11. Kesänen, J., Leino-Kilpi, H., Lund, T., Montin, L., Puukka, P., & Valkeapää, K. (2017). Increased preoperative knowledge reduces surgery-related anxiety: a randomised clinical trial in 100 spinal stenosis patients. European spine journal : official publication of the European Spine Society, the European Spinal Deformity Society, and the European Section of the Cervical Spine Research Society, 26(10), 2520–2528. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00586-017-4963-4
12. Younis, J., Salerno, G., Chaudhary, A., Trickett, J. P., Bearn, P. E., Scott, H. J., & Galbraith, K. A. (2013). Reduction in hospital reattendance due to improved preoperative patient education following hemorrhoidectomy. Journal for healthcare quality : official publication of the National Association for Healthcare Quality, 35(6), 24–29. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1945-1474.2012.00201.x