Abstract
BACKGROUND: Studies show that patients recall less than half of the information given by their physicians. Use of video in medicine increases patient comprehension and satisfaction and decreases anxiety. However, studies have not elaborated on video content. OBJECTIVE: To use principles of learning with multimedia to improve the Mohs surgery consultation. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The authors developed 2 informational videos on Mohs surgery: traditional versus narrative. The focus of the traditional video was purely didactic. The narrative video included patient testimonials, patient-physician interaction, and animations. New Mohs surgery patients viewed either the traditional (n = 40) or the narrative video (n = 40). Existing Mohs surgery patients (n = 40) viewed both videos. Both groups answered questionnaires about their satisfaction. RESULTS: For new Mohs surgery patients, no significant difference was found between the traditional and the narrative video groups because respondent satisfaction was high for both video formats. For existing Mohs surgery patients, all respondents (100%) reported that videos were helpful for understanding Mohs surgery; however, the majority would recommend the narrative over the traditional format (72.5% vs 27.5%, p = .01). CONCLUSION: Technology is useful for patient education because all patients preferred seeing a video to no video. Further research is needed to optimize effective multimedia use in patient education.