Evaluating the Impact of Neurosurgical Educational Interventions on Patient Knowledge and Satisfaction: A Systematic Review of the Literature

OBJECTIVE: In this systematic review, preoperative educational interventions for patients undergoing neurosurgical treatment are identified and their impact on patient knowledge acquisition and satisfaction is assessed. METHODS: The review was conducted in accordance with the PRISMA guidelines and used PubMed, Google Scholar, and MEDLINE databases. Studies evaluating before and after cohort or control group comparison were identified between 2007 and 2019 and were independently scored and evaluated by 3 authors. RESULTS: Eighty-one articles were assessed for eligibility and 15 met the inclusion criteria. Patient educational interventions were text-based (2 studies), multimedia/video-based (3), mobile/tablet-based (5), or used virtual reality (2) or three-dimensional printing (3). Interventions were disease-specific for cerebrovascular lesions (5), degenerative spine disease (2), concussion/traumatic brain injury (2), movement disorders (1), brain tumor (1), adolescent epilepsy (1), and other cranial/spinal elective procedures (3). Eleven studies (n = 18-175) documented patient knowledge acquisition using self-reported knowledge questionnaires (5) or more objective assessments based on true/false or multiple-choice questions (6). Most studies (10/11) reported statistically significant increases in patient knowledge after implementation of the intervention. Ten studies (n = 14-600) documented patient satisfaction using validated satisfaction surveys (2), Likert scale surveys (6), or other questionnaires (2). Although all studies reported increases in patient satisfaction after the intervention, only 4 were statistically significant. CONCLUSIONS: Patient educational interventions using various modalities are broadly applicable within neurosurgery and ubiquitously enhance patient knowledge and satisfaction. Interventions should be implemented when possible.