Abstract
Purpose
This trial assessed if written information on procedural findings and subsequent treatment improved understanding and reduced anxiety among patients undergoing day case flexible cystoscopy (FC).
Methods
Participants completed pre- and post-procedure questionnaires self-rating anxiety and feeling well informed on 5-point Likert scales. Supplemental written information was provided after FC to half the patients on a standardized template, according to randomized allocation. Comparisons between the groups were undertaken using the Wilcoxon test.
Results
Two hundred patients were recruited, with 171 evaluable questionnaires (83 from written group). The distribution of age, sex and prior FC, as well as the pre-procedure self-assessment of anxiety and understanding, was similar between the two groups. Patients receiving written information reported feeling better informed, with median (range) Likert score of 5 (4–5) compared to 4 (1–5) out of 5 (p < 0.0001) and less anxious (score 1 [1–4] compared to 2 [1–5] out of 5, p < 0.005), although all except four patients had an accurate understanding of the information provided (p = NS).
Conclusions
Written information at the time of FC leads to patients feeling better informed and less anxious, although verbal information alone appears to lead to an adequate understanding.
Clinical trial registration number
ACTRN12616000288426
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Authors and Affiliations
Contributions
FD’A: study procedures and implementation, and manuscript preparation. CLY and KM: protocol development and data collection. PM and RM: study procedures and implementation. DB: protocol development and infrastructure support. SS: protocol development, data collection and analysis, and manuscript preparation.
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The authors declare that they do not have any conflicts of interest to report.
Ethical approval
All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki Declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards.
Informed consent
Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study.
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D’Arcy, F., Yip, C.L., Manya, K. et al. Prospective randomised controlled trial of written supplement to verbal communication of results to patients at the time of flexible cystoscopy. World J Urol 36, 883–887 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00345-018-2233-7
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00345-018-2233-7