Spinal Stenosis Patients' Visual and Verbal Description of the Comprehension of Their Surgery

Background Spine surgery patients have difficulty comprehending the patient education aimed at preparing for surgery. Purpose To assess the effect of a specific preoperative education approach (Knowledge Test Feedback Intervention, KTFI) on patients' verbal and visual understanding of their surgery. Methods In this randomized controlled trial, the intervention group (n = 50) went through the KTFI and routine education, whereas the control group (n = 50) received only routine patient education. Written description of the surgical procedure and drawing of incision were used as outcome measures at baseline, at hospitalization, at discharge, and 3 and 6 months after surgery. Results At baseline, half of the participants showed verbal and visual understanding of their surgery. During follow-up, understanding improved significantly with no statistically significant differences between the groups. Conclusion Spinal stenosis patients' understanding of their surgical procedure is imperfect. Patient educators need to ensure patient learning by evaluating comprehension outcomes.