The Effect of Video-Based Education on Anxiety of Patients Receiving Stereotactic Radiosurgery and Stereotactic Body Radiation Therapy

Patients receiving stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) and stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) may have an anxiety due to unknown aspects of the treatment. We aimed to reduce patient anxiety by using video-based education. Forty patients were divided into 2 groups, with one-to-one information session ( n = 20) and one-to-one information session plus video-based education ( n = 20). The patients completed the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) and visual facial anxiety scale before and after information sessions and after treatment. The setup time and disruptions during treatment sessions were recorded for patients receiving treatment with Novalis® and Cyberknife®, respectively. The patient characteristics and STAI scores before education were similar between groups. The anxiety level was significantly lower in group 1 after treatment (median 38, interquartile range (IQR) 27–45) compared to before (median 43, IQR 36–47) ( p = 0.003) and after information sessions (median 42, IQR 36–47) ( p = 0.004); however, any difference was not observed in anxiety levels between before and after information sessions ( p = 0.317). The anxiety level was significantly lower in group 2 after video-based education (median 25, IQR 22–33) and after treatment (median 25, IQR 20–30) compared to before video-based education (median 35, IQR 31–42) ( p < 0.001 for both), while there was no significant difference in anxiety levels between after video-based education and after the treatment ( p = 0.407). The interruptions during treatment were observed in 9 (60%) patients in group 1 and 6 (40%) patients in group 2 ( p = 0.038). Video-based educations significantly reduce patient anxiety before SRS/SBRT and increase their compliance with the treatment.