Improving Health Literacy of Elective Procedures in Pediatric Otolaryngology

Objective: To identify if the addition of supplementary material, such as video or written resources, to the consent process, can improve a patient's or guardian's health literacy in pediatric otolaryngology.

Study design: Prospective randomized crossover design.

Setting: Tertiary Academic Center.

Methods: From April 18, 2022 to August 29, 2023, 151 children scheduled to undergo 1 of 6 procedures by the same provider were queried and completed a 6-question baseline test based on the information. They each watched a 2-minute video and read a written summary about the procedure; the order of resources was randomized. They answered the same 6-questions after viewing each resource. All tests were scored based on accuracy using an ordinal scale of 1 to 6. Resource preference was collected. Wilcoxon signed-rank tests were run to analyze differences in scores after the addition of supplementary resources and logistic regression modeling was run to analyze demographic effects on postresource score differences.

Results: Of 151 participants, 74.2% were guardians, with 78.8% having completed a high school or greater education. The Wilcoxon signed-rank test indicated that postresource scores were statistically significantly higher (P < .001) than pretest scores. Logistic regression modeling showed that participants were less likely to show score improved if they were younger than 18 and were of white race. A majority (87.4%) preferred the addition of a video to the consent process.

Conclusion: The addition of video or written resources significantly improves understanding of elective procedures. The development of procedure-specific resources can supplement the consent process and ensure decision-makers have adequate health literacy for informed decision-making.