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.