Physicians and nurses, as strong advocates of patient education and safety, believe that the more informed patients are about their surgical procedures, the more accurate their expectations are and the better their recovery will be. Health care providers strive to adequately inform patients about surgery performance, benefits, expectations, risks, and other related information. However, evaluation of patient comprehension and understanding remains difficult. A signed informed consent form, even when reinforced by verbal communication, printed brochures, or generic presentations, does not ensure or accurately evaluate patient knowledge or expectations.

Patients often form unrealistic expectations due to misleading and unverified information that is circulated by the media and by word of mouth. Compounding this problem, it seems that only 15% of patients fully understand what their doctors tell them.1 Consent forms are designed to document a patient' s knowledge, but these forms can be confusing, and many patients sign without reading the forms. In one study,2 69% of surveyed patients admitted that they did not read the consent form at all, and it has been estimated that less than half of the U.S. population understands commonly used medical terms.

Patient confusion about medical jargon and forms is not the only challenge in patient education. Physicians and nurses face the pressures of time constraints, obstacles by insurance carriers, decreasing reimbursements rates, time consuming education seminars, heavy schedules, and increasing demand on staff. Health care providers need to provide education that enhances patient care and reduces malpractice lawsuit risks, but they also need to save time and money.

Health care providers can solve many of their patient education challenges with web-based educational tools. Info-Surge web-based education programs present high quality, accessible, understandable, reliable information related to specific medical procedures online 24/7 to patients. From their homes or from any computer connected to the Internet, patients can attend multimedia courses, which may include reviews of anatomy and physiology, the disease or condition being treated, the procedure, pre- and post-operative instructions, and risks and benefits. After completing the course, the patient' s comprehension is tested with quizzes. Patient participation is recorded and documented, including records of quiz results.

7 Steps to Enhance Patient-Physician Communication and Achieve Thorough Informed Consent with Info-Surge Online Patient Education

1. Point of contact Patients visit the physician' s website and create a personal account to view online education seminars. Patients can also receive log-in information when they call the physician' s office to inquire about a procedure or service.

2. Pre-visit The physician' s office automatically receives an email when an account has been created through the website. This enables office staff to call or email the patient to start building a relationship and answer any questions the patient may have.

3. Procedure education Patients view the informational web seminar, custom designed by Info-Surge with information provided by the physician. The online patient education module may include multimedia presentations, quizzes, surveys, movies, and downloadable paperwork. As patients interact with the seminar, a log is created to document participation and understanding. Patients can view materials repeatedly, share the information with their family and loved ones, and work through the module at their own pace, in the comfort of their homes.

4. Confirmation of course completion Once a patient has completed the seminar, the physician will receive an email notification with quiz results and general usage information. This can be filed in the patient' s chart in preparation for the office visit.

5. Pre- and post-operative consultation During the consultation, the patient' s online education record is reviewed and any final questions are answered. This can be an additional verification to the informed consent process.

6. Post-op care Patients can review post-op care instructions online and share them with their family and caregivers.

7. Follow-up Online follow-up courses can provide relevant information related to patient procedures. This will improve patient satisfaction and strengthen marketing efforts.

Mr. Eran Kabakov, CEO of Info-Surge, said: 'Patients who are about to undertake a surgical procedure need appropriate, easy-to-understand information in order to be fully involved in their healthcare. We know that by using our online patient education system, surgeons can provide reliable patient education with minimal efforts. Our mission is to promote communication and patient-centric education as integral aspects of successful surgical outcomes.

1 M. Levine, 'Tell the doctor all your problems, but keep it to less than a minute,' New York Times, June 1, 2004.

2 C. Lavelle-Jones and others, 'Factors affecting quality of informed consent' BMJ 306 (1993): 885-890.