Video-assisted consent cuts decisional conflict in gastric cancer surgery

A new study finds that video-assisted informed consent before gastric cancer surgery consultations reduces decisional conflict and shortens face-to-face discussion time by about 40 percent. Researchers at Fujita Health University in Japan randomly assigned 60 patients scheduled for gastrectomy to watch video aids before their consultation or after it. The pre-consultation group had shorter discussions, averaging 22.4 minutes versus 35.9 minutes, and no patients reported high decisional conflict afterward, compared with 20 percent in the standard group. The videos, totaling about 30 minutes, used animations and subtitles to explain surgical procedures, complications, and recovery, and were tailored by surgeons to each patient's planned operation. The study, published in the World Journal of Gastrointestinal Surgery, suggests the approach supports shared decision-making without replacing doctor-patient conversations, though larger trials are needed for stronger evidence.