Patient education can be provided in various mediums, from textual materials to visual presentations. However, there needs to be more information about which approach is best. Using the FACE-Q Skin Cancer Patient Reported Outcome Measure, they will inquire what kind of scar care educational materials patients who have undergone surgery for facial skin cancer would find most helpful.
Mohs patients received either a written handout or a 3-minute animated film with tips on minimizing scarring on the day of surgery. Following this, patients were given the FACE-Q Skin Cancer—Satisfaction with Information: Appearance scale. The same scale was used, and additional questions about scar care were asked when patients were contacted three months later.
Substance 75 patients were included in the analysis. Preoperative information scores did not change between the 2 groups (P=.85). Neither did 3-month postoperative scores (P=.37). There was no statistically significant difference between the groups in the difference between the preoperative and postoperative scores (P=.21). Still, the video group did demonstrate a trend toward higher satisfaction on the day of Mohs surgery. By the third month, those who had received written materials seemed more satisfied overall. Considering a patient’s preferred method of receiving and accessing information can improve their retention and happiness with that knowledge.
