Using Animation to Enhance Patient Understanding of Prolapse

Friday, October 6, 2023

4:00 PM – 5:00 PM US PST

Location: B110

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Image Label: Table 1. Survey Respondent Education Level and Diagnosis

Scientific Table Presenter(s)

Kavita Mishra, MD (she/her/hers)

Clinical Assistant Professor
Stanford University School of Medicine
Redwood City, California, United States

Co-Author(s)

Brooke Gurland, MD (she/her/hers)

Professor
Stanford University School of Medicine
Stanford, California, United States

Co-Author(s)

HA

Hassina Adel, BS

Research Assistant
Stanford
Palo Alto, California, United States
CB

Caitlin P. Bungo, BS

Assistant Clinical Research Coordinator
Stanford University School of Medicine
Stanford, California, United States
CK

Cintia Kimura, MD PhD

Postdoctoral research fellow
Stanford University
Mountain View, California, United States

Disclosure(s):

Kavita Mishra, MD: No financial relationships to disclose

Hassina Adel, BS: No financial relationships to disclose

Caitlin P. Bungo, BS: No financial relationships to disclose

Cintia Kimura, MD PhD: No financial relationships to disclose

Objectives: There is a paucity of educational material available to patients with pelvic floor disorders. As a result, patients are often left anxious and confused as to the origin and/or progression of their condition and symptoms. Video education is an increasingly popular tool for patient education and has been shown to be effective in reducing condition-related anxiety in addition to positively contributing to knowledge retention. This study aims to identify patients’ preferences for learning about pelvic floor disorders, to assess acceptability of a short educational animation on rectal prolapse and rectocele developed to aid patient education, and to obtain patients’ feedback on that animation.

Methods: Participants of the Stanford Pelvic Health Center’s IRB-approved Rectal Prolapse Registry with a previous or current diagnosis of rectal prolapse, rectocele, constipation, and/or fecal incontinence were invited to complete an anonymous survey that included 20 multiple choice questions about educational preferences and a 100-second video animation on rectal prolapse and rectocele. Survey respondents were also invited for a semi-structured interview for a deeper understanding of their thoughts and preferences regarding health education.

Results: Of 146 female registry participants (mean age 65.7) who received the survey, 46 (31.5%) responded and 10 volunteered to participate in one-on-one interviews. The majority of respondents (61%) agreed or strongly agreed that their current or past diagnosis is on their mind continually and 87% of respondents agreed or strongly agreed that they would like to know as much as possible about their diagnosis. Most patients (63%) reported that they conducted research online about pelvic floor disorders. Common challenges they reported were difficulty finding the content that they were looking for (41.5%), complex language (18.8%) and ability to find a reliable source (16.9%). After watching the animation, 97% agreed that it explained the condition clearly, and 66% would be comfortable explaining the condition to someone else. During the interviews, the aforementioned challenges were highlighted and explored. Other emergent themes were that patients had a mostly positive feeling after watching the animation, would like it to be shown during the first appointment, and would like to see similar content both when preparing for surgery and post-operatively.

Conclusions: The information patients seek about pelvic floor disorders is not always available online. This study demonstrated the acceptability of a short educational video animation among patients and its ability to enhance patients' understanding of rectal prolapse and rectocele. Additional videos will help to enhance their understanding of surgery for those conditions, and future studies will explore the relationship between a patient’s health literacy and respective engagement in their care.