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For patients undergoing gastric cancer surgery, informed consent (IC) can involve extensive information about surgical methods, complications, risks, benefits and life after treatment. Conventional face-to-face explanations can be difficult to absorb in one sitting and require substantial time from both patients and surgeons. Decisional conflict, the uncertainty people may feel when making a treatment choice, adds to this challenge.

A research team led by Senior Assistant Professor Kazumitsu Suzuki and Professor Susumu Shibasaki from the Department of Surgery, Fujita Health University, Japan, along with their colleagues Associate Professor Yusuke Watanabe, Professor Ichiro Uyama and Professor Koichi Suda from the same institute, addressed this challenge.

In cooperation with Contrea Inc., the team evaluated whether standardized video aids could help patients better understand the relevant information before their surgical consultation.

Sixty patients scheduled for gastrectomy were randomly assigned either to watch video IC aids before their face-to-face consultation (PVIC group) or to receive the face-to-face consultation first and watch the videos afterward (standard IC group). The study was published in the World Journal of Gastrointestinal Surgery.

"Rather than replacing the doctor's explanation, the video was designed to help patients understand essential information before meeting their doctor," said Suzuki. "We wanted patients to understand the surgery at their own pace so the consultation could focus more on their questions and concerns, supporting shared decision-making."

The videos were delivered through a web-based platform in short segments totaling about 30 minutes.

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