About the research

Background: Modern healthcare focuses on shared decision-making between patient and physician because of the positive effects on patient satisfaction, therapy compliance and outcomes. Patients' knowledge of their illness and the available treatment options, gained through medical education, is one of the main drivers for the development of this approach. Current patient information is highly dependent on medical consultation and is known to be ineffective.

Objective: The study aimed to determine whether providing information to patients in a phased, categorized and interactive manner via an educational app for smartphone or tablet could increase the knowledge about their disease.

Methods: A randomized and controlled study was conducted with 213 patients who were referred by their GP to 1 of 6 Dutch hospitals because of knee problems that indicate knee osteoarthritis. The primary result was the level of perceived and actual knowledge patients had about their knee problems and the relevant treatment options after surgery.

Conclusion: The active provision of information to patients in a phased (per day), categorized (per theme) and interactive (video and quiz questions) way increases the level of perceived knowledge considerably and shows a higher level of actual knowledge compared to standard care practice.

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The paper can be downloaded for free in Open Access here.