Importance of Videos as Information Resources in Improving Patients’ Acceptability of Robotic Gynecological Surgery

Many patients report feeling anxious and apprehensive before a robotic gynecological surgery (RS). The current study is aimed to explore understanding and perceptions of patients towards RS, and to determine if different formats of RS information could make patients more comfortable with the procedure.

The study had two sequential phases: first, semi-structured interviews with patients who had previously undergone gynecological RS, and second, a randomized crossover study involving women from the general public. Thematic analysis was used to assess qualitative data from the interviews, while quantitative data from questionnaires were summarized and determined using Mann-Whitney U and Fisher's exact investigations.

The outcome revealed that participants from the interview had very little knowledge of RS before their surgery. A majority of participants felt that written information leaflets did not adequately explain the robotic setup and procedure, which contributed to their anxiety and led them to seek information from other sources. Suggestions were made to use videos or models to visually explain the surgery process and how the surgeon interacts with the robot. Moreover, questionnaire responses from 30 women showed that providing information increased the acceptability of RS; 73.3% of participants found the video alone sufficient, compared to only 46.7% who felt the same about the printed leaflet.

This study highlighted the importance of providing information to patients undergoing RS. Offering information in various formats, especially through an informational video, may help meet patients' needs of information, reduce anxiety, thereby increasing their acceptability of RS.

Source: Ashmore AA, Ismail A, Wood M, Jennings AC, McDermott H, Moss E. Seeing is believing: patients' attitudes and information preferences towards robotic gynaecological surgery. J Gynecol Obstet Hum Reprod. 2024 Sep 24:102858. doi: 10.1016/j.jogoh.2024.102858. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 39326846.