Issue

The amount of information that a patient receives in the perioperative period following an injury can be overwhelming. Patients are often unable to recall their diagnosis, treatments and procedures, or retain information regarding their post-operative care pathway, including rehabilitation and follow-up instructions. This lack of information retention can lead to lower engagement levels and adherence to management and rehabilitation plans. For the post-operative patient, this can negatively impact patient outcomes and can extend the time required to return to pre-operative function, daily activities, and work. Furthermore, poor comprehension can lead to increased time in follow-up appointments to repeat the same principles of rehabilitation and management pathways, taking valuable time away from focusing on the specific needs of the patient. Therefore, there is a need for improved patient education for injured patients undergoing surgery in the acute setting.

Objectives

Overall Aim: This project aims to address this care gap by first developing a novel educational video for patients with ankle fractures, who are being discharged from hospital after surgery. The video will include basic anatomy information specific to their injury, basic information on fractures and bone healing, treatment goals, and a detailed care pathway for rehabilitation after their ankle fractures. 
Research Objectives:
1. Develop a patient education video for patients with ankle fractures being discharged from hospital after surgery.
2. Develop a smartphone app that can be downloaded by patients to access their care information so that it is readily accessible and can be consumed as needed.
3. Evaluate implementation of the educational video and smartphone app, to iteratively improve these resources based on patient feedback.

Anticipated Results

The goal is that patients will have a better understanding of their injury and rehabilitation pathway, which may ultimately expedite their recovery and improve their functional outcomes, allowing them to return to activities of daily living and work sooner. Findings from this pilot project could support the development of more educational videos for additional orthopaedic injuries and other subspecialty fields. The novel data from this study will be used to further develop a repository of educational videos for other orthopedic injuries.