Dansk Præsentation/indledning/abstract
I denne artikel kan du læse om udviklingen af Operation Preparation – en patientcentreret podcast, der skal styrke forståelsen af anæstesi og det perioperative forløb hos mennesker, der står foran en operation. Artiklen tager udgangspunkt i et velkendt problem: mange patienter føler sig usikre, overvældede eller dårligt informerede før kirurgi, hvilket kan øge angst, mindske engagement og i nogle tilfælde forsinke behandlingen og føre til unødige aflysninger.
Forfatterne beskriver, hvordan Pre-Anaesthetic Assessment Clinic på St. James’s Hospital i Dublin har udviklet en serie på 18 korte, lettilgængelige podcastafsnit, der giver klar, pålidelig og jargonfri information om alt fra bedøvelse og faste til medicinhåndtering, operationsdagens forløb og tiden efter indgrebet. Som det fremgår af artiklen, har podcasten allerede opnået “over 4100 international downloads”, og både patienter og klinikere rapporterer om mindre angst, bedre forberedelse og mere meningsfulde samtaler i klinikken.
Artiklen giver et indblik i både baggrunden for initiativet, den konkrete udviklingsproces og de første erfaringer med brugen af podcasten som digital sundhedsintervention. Samtidig peger forfatterne på, hvordan denne type tiltag kan bidrage til øget patientsikkerhed, bedre beslutningsgrundlag og mere effektivt samarbejde mellem patienter og sundhedsprofessionelle.
Abstract
Background: Limited patient understanding of anaesthesia and perioperative care, contributes to anxiety, poor engagement, and avoidable surgical delays. Reliable patient-focused resources are also limited.
Objective: This article describes the development and preliminary evaluation of Operation Preparation, a patient-centred educational podcast.
Methods: Developed by the Pre-Anaesthetic Assessment Clinic at St James’s Hospital, Dublin, the podcast includes 18 episodes for patients awaiting surgery. Evaluation used download metrics, website engagement, and feedback.
Results: Since launch, the podcast has achieved over 4100 international downloads demonstrating need. Feedback suggests reduced anxiety, improved understanding and preparedness.
Conclusion: Podcasts are a viable means for patient education, enhancing perioperative safety.
Introduction
Effective perioperative care depends not only on clinical optimisation, but also on informed patient participation. Research consistently demonstrates that patients who understand the principles of anaesthesia, perioperative pathways, and their own responsibilities in preparation and recovery, are more likely to engage actively in their care and do better in their recovery. Such engagement is associated with adherence to preoperative instructions, reduced anxiety, and improved satisfaction with the surgical experience. However, inadequate understanding of perioperative processes has been linked to heightened preoperative anxiety, misconceptions regarding anaesthetic risks, and reduced confidence in care providers. This knowledge gap poses a challenge not only for patient well-being but also for perioperative efficiency, as clinicians must often spend valuable consultation time addressing basic questions.
The Irish Model of Care for Preassessment Services (2024), outlines how pre-anaesthetic assessment clinics play a central role in preparing patients for surgery. These clinics offer an individualised risk assessment, educate patients about the surgical process, optimise comorbid conditions and health behaviours. However, increasing surgical volumes, staffing pressures, and time-limited appointments frequently constrain the depth and consistency of education delivered during consultations. Patients may receive a large amount of information in a single visit, often at a time when anxiety or recent diagnosis impairs cognitive processing. This phenomenon, known as cognitive overload and attentional narrowing, can significantly reduce the retention of critical information, leaving patients feeling less prepared for surgery (Wang et. al 2022 & Kessells 2023).
Although online health information is widely available, much of the content relating to anaesthesia and perioperative medicine is designed for healthcare professionals rather than patients.
Digital health interventions, such as podcasts, has emerged as valuable educational tools to address these gaps in patient education. Evidence suggests that narrative-based educational formats (podcasts), enhance emotional engagement, knowledge acquisition, and information retention compared with traditional written materials such as leaflets or brochures (Shaw et al. 2022). For perioperative patients, hearing explanations delivered conversationally by healthcare professionals alongside patient narratives increases listening, recall and knowledge gained (Amador et al. 2022).
In response to these challenges, Operation Preparation was developed by healthcare professionals within the Pre-Anaesthetic Assessment Clinic at St James’s Hospital, Dublin. The podcast was designed to provide clear, accessible, and jargon-free information for patients undergoing any type of surgery, in any hospital. Its objectives are to improve understanding of anaesthesia and perioperative processes, empower patients to actively participate in their care, and ultimately contribute to improved perioperative safety. The initiative aligns with international and national policies, including the World Health Organization Global Patient Safety Action Plan 2021.
Methods
Podcast Development and Content
Operation Preparation is a structured educational podcast that currently comprises 18 episodes released across three seasons. Each episode was designed to be concise, with an average duration of approximately 15 minutes, reflecting evidence that shorter episodes improve engagement and completion rates. Longer episodes were reserved for guest interviews, or discussions of complex topics requiring additional detail.
Content development was led by consultant anaesthesiologists and clinical nurse specialists, informed by common patient questions and concerns encountered in pre-anaesthetic assessment clinics. Topics include explanations of general and regional anaesthesia, fasting guidelines, perioperative medication management, risk assessment, what to expect on the day of surgery, postoperative recovery, prehabilitation strategies, smoking cessation, pain management, ICU environment, and common perioperative interventions. Several episodes focus on patient experiences, allowing listeners to hear first-hand accounts of surgery and anaesthesia, which add narrative context and comfort.
Episodes feature contributions from a multidisciplinary team member, including consultant anaesthesiologists, nurse specialists, consultant surgeons, patients, and other allied healthcare professionals. All content is reviewed to ensure accuracy, consistency with institutional guidelines, and accessibility for a non-clinical audience. Transcripts are available online to enhance accessibility for individuals with hearing impairment or those whose first language is not English. This inclusive approach ensures that the podcast is as accessible and beneficial as possible for a diverse international patient population.
Evaluation of the podcast’s impact utilised a descriptive mixed-methods approach. Quantitative data included download analytics and website traffic metrics, which served as indicators of reach and listener engagement. Qualitative data were derived from informal feedback provided by patients and from observations reported by clinicians during pre-anaesthetic assessment consultations.
Results
Since its launch, Operation Preparation has generated over 4,100 downloads internationally. Analytics demonstrate engagement from a diverse range of countries, including Ireland, the United Kingdom, Belgium, Germany, Spain, the United States, Australia, and the Philippines. This international reach highlights the broad relevance and appeal of patient-centred perioperative education, extending beyond the original institutional context. Distinct peaks in listenership were observed following targeted media promotion and institutional communication campaigns, demonstrating the importance of active dissemination strategies.
Anecdotal patient feedback indicates that listening to the podcast improves understanding of anaesthesia and perioperative processes, reduces preoperative anxiety, and increases confidence prior to surgery. Patients reported feeling better prepared for pre-anaesthetic assessments and more able to ask informed questions, thereby promoting patient advocacy and shared decision-making. Some listeners described revisiting episodes after clinic appointments or sharing content with family members involved in their care, reflecting the podcast’s utility as an ongoing educational resource rather than a single-use tool.
Clinicians also reported perceived benefits within pre-anaesthetic assessment clinics. Patients who had listened to the podcast often demonstrated higher baseline knowledge, allowing consultations to focus on individualised risk assessment, optimisation, and shared decision-making rather than basic explanations. This was perceived to improve both the efficiency and quality of patient–clinician interactions, with potential downstream benefits for clinic workflow and patient satisfaction.
Discussion
The preliminary evaluation suggests that Operation Preparation is a feasible, acceptable, and effective adjunct to traditional pre-anaesthetic assessment clinics. As a low-cost and scalable digital intervention, the podcast addresses key limitations inherent in face-to-face education, particularly time constraints and inconsistency in information delivery. Its international reach underscores the universal need for accessible, patient-centred perioperative education.
Key strengths of the initiative include its multidisciplinary authorship, patient-centred design, concise episode format, and emphasis on reliable, jargon-free communication. Hosting by healthcare professionals enhances credibility and trust, distinguishing the podcast from unregulated online content that may be inaccurate or misleading. The inclusion of patient narratives further supports emotional engagement, offering reassurance and promoting better recall of information.
The podcast also facilitates shared decision-making by enabling patients to engage with information before clinical consultations, resulting in more meaningful discussions about surgical risk and personal preferences.
However, several limitations should be acknowledged. Download metrics, while indicative of reach, do not equate to knowledge gained or behavioural change. Qualitative feedback was informal and not systematically collected, and the evaluation did not include validated measures of anxiety, patient knowledge, or clinical outcomes.
Future directions include integrating podcast recommendations into routine pre-anaesthetic pathways, expanding content to address the needs of specific surgical populations, and collaborating with other institutions to evaluate reproducibility and impact across different healthcare settings.
Conclusion
Operation Preparation demonstrates that a podcast-based educational intervention can effectively enhance the perioperative patient education, empowerment confidence, and preparedness. As a low-cost, scalable, and equitable resource, it provides a practical solution to gaps in traditional pre-operative education and aligns with contemporary strategies in patient safety, health literacy, and digital health innovation. Broader adoption of similar digital interventions has the potential to improve patient experience, facilitate shared decision-making, and contribute to safer, more informed perioperative care globally.
References
Amador, F.L.D., Alves, G.C.G., Santos, V.R. and Moreira, R.S.L. (2024) Use of podcasts for health education: a scoping review. Revista Brasileira de Enfermagem, 77(1).
Amador, F.L.D., Goncalves, G.C., Santos, V.R. and Moreira, R.S.L. (2022) Podcast and patient education: protocol of a scoping review. Charlottesville: Open Science Framework. Available at: http://doi.org/10.17605/OSF.IO/DQ4J7
Department of Health and Children. (2016) Making Every Contact Count – a health behaviour change framework and implementation plan for health care professionals in the Irish Health Service. Dublin: Stationery Office. Available at: https://www.hse.ie/eng/about/who/healthwellbeing/making-every-contact-count/making-every-contact-count-framework.pdf (Accessed 26/01/2026).
Department of Health (2013) Healthy Ireland: A framework for improved health and wellbeing 2013–2025. Dublin: Stationary Office. Available at: https://www.gov.ie/en/healthy-ireland/campaigns/healthy-ireland/ (Accessed: 27 January 2026).
Kessells, R. (2023) Patient’s memory for medical information. Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine, 96(5), pp.219–222.
Model of Care for Preassessment Services. (2024) National Clinical Programme for Anaesthesia. Available at: https://www.hse.ie/eng/services/publications/clinical-strategy-and-programmes/model-of-care-for-preassessment-servcies.pdf (Accessed 20/11/2024).
Shaw, P.A., Sumner, A.L., Halton, C.C., Bailey, S.C., Wolf, M.S. and Andrews, E.N. (2022) ‘You’re more engaged when you’re listening to somebody tell their story’: a qualitative exploration into the mechanism of the podcast “Menopause Unmuted” for communicating health information. Patient Education and Counseling, 105(12), pp.494–500.
Wang, T. and Voss, J. (2022) Information overload in patient education: a Wilsonian concept analysis. Nursing Science Quarterly, 35(3).
World Health Organization. (2021) Global patient safety action plan 2021–2030: towards eliminating avoidable harm in health care. Available at: https://iris.who.int/bitstream/handle/10665/343477/9789240032705-eng.pdf (Accessed 26/01/2026).
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