Oral information in orthopaedics: How should the patient's understanding be assessed?

Abstract Introduction Patient information is governed by recommendations of best practices required from any healthcare professional. The aim of this study was to design a tool to measure patient comprehension of the information provided during a surgical consultation before a scheduled surgery. Material and methods This was a single-center prospective study of 21 patients using a rating scale-type visual analog scale. Each patient was interviewed and asked to score his or her understanding of the information provided. The investigator checked the external validity of the tool using questions to assess patient's understanding level. Results The results show that there is a tendency to overvalue some information (reasons for the intervention and alternatives to surgery) and that certain information is not understood (risks and complications) or not provided (postoperative follow-up). Conclusion This study confirms that a rating scale can measure the understanding of information and there is a variation between perceived and actual understanding.