Introduction
To evaluate the effect of web-based education on 1) patient satisfaction, 2) consultation times, and 3) conversion to surgery.
Methods
Retrospective review of 767 new patient consultations seen by 4 university based plastic surgeons, between May 2012 and August 2013. Evaluated to determine the effect a web-based education program has on patient satisfaction and consultation time. A standard 5-point Likert scale survey completed at the end of the consultation was used to assess satisfaction with their experience. Consult times were obtained from the electronic medical record. All analyses were done with Statistical Analysis Software (SAS) version 9.2 (SAS Inc., Cary, NC). A p-value < 0.05 was considered statistically significant.
Results
Those who viewed the program prior to their consultation were more satisfied with their consultation compared to those who did not (satisfaction scores, mean ± SD: 1.13 ± 0.44 vs. 1.36 ± 0.74; p=0.02) and more likely to rate their experience as excellent (92% vs. 75%; p=0.02). Contrary to the claims of Emmi Solutions, patients who viewed the educational program prior to consultation trended towards longer visits compared to those who did not (mean time ± SD: 54 ± 26 vs. 50 ± 35 mins; p=0.10). More patients who completed the program went on to undergo a procedure (44% vs. 37%; p=0.16), but this difference was not statistically significant.
Discussion
Viewing web-based educational programs significantly improved plastic surgery patients’ satisfaction with their consultation, but patients who viewed the program also trended towards longer consultation times. While there was an increase in converting to surgical procedures, this did not reach statistical significance.