The role of informational videos in parental education concerning retinopathy of prematurity examinations.

PURPOSE: To assess the effectiveness of educational videos in improving parental experience and understanding of the retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) examination and the importance of timely follow-up.

METHODS

A prospective nonrandomized study was conducted with the parents of 142 patients who received ROP examinations. The analysis compared two groups of parents. Parents in the video group viewed two educational videos about the ROP examination created at our institution that explained the purpose and importance of the examination and timely follow-up. The second (control) group only received standard print materials on ROP examinations. Surveys evaluating parent satisfaction, preparedness, and understanding of follow-up were administered to all participating parents at their first outpatient appointment. The χ2 and t tests were used to determine differences between the groups.

RESULTS

Parents in the video group were more likely to state that the ophthalmologist spoke to them regarding results of the eye examination (P = 0.027), report that staff explained how the examination would be performed (P = 0.003), report being very satisfied (P = 0.011), and demonstrate increased knowledge of the necessity of the examinations (P = 0.018) compared with the print-only group.

CONCLUSIONS

In our study cohort, use of educational videos increased parental knowledge, preparedness, and satisfaction.