Patients' views on the screening of a videotape on osteoarthritis in an orthopaedic outpatient department

This study explores both new and existing outpatients' views about the screening of an informational videotape on osteoarthritis in the waiting area prior to their appointment at an orthopaedic outpatient clinic in an outer London teaching hospital. The aim was to establish the usefulness of the videotape as perceived by patients, and to explore the extent to which the outpatient department environment affected patients' viewing of the tape. The findings revealed that over half the patients saw the entire tape, whilst over a quarter saw one part of it. The majority of patients rated the tape interesting, with over half reporting it as having practical value. However, noise in the outpatient environment was the main factor which affected patients' viewing of the tape.