Simultaneous live video presentation during knee arthroscopy.

To improve patient understanding, we evaluated prospectively the effect of patient-observed simultaneous surgeon-explained live video during knee arthroscopy. Patient satisfaction, understanding, and tolerance of the tenderness and pain were measured by a questionnaire completed immediately after the procedure. There were 72 patients (41 men, 31 women) with a mean age of 47 years; 76 joints were treated among them. All but one were comfortably able to watch the live video of the procedure, and 89% of the patients reported a good understanding of and satisfaction with the procedure. Moreover, if the patients ever had to have another arthroscopy, 66% answered that they "certainly" wanted a live video presentation, and 25% "somewhat" desired it. Live video-presented outpatient arthroscopic knee surgery could be considered a method for improving patient understanding of knee pathology.