Leveraging the Internet to Improve Patient Education and Satisfaction: A Prospective Randomized Study

60 patients with carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) were randomly allocated into 1 of 2 groups to determine the effect internet education had on their overall knowledge of CTS. Patients were randomly given a handout redirecting to the American Society for Surgery of the Hand (ASSH) website in addition to a traditional doctor's visit. Results of the study indicated that if patients were already satisfied with their traditional doctor's visit, directing patients to a particular website (ASSH) did not significantly increase internet usage nor knowledge on carpal tunnel syndrome. Results did, however, indicate that patients who consulted internet sources to learn more about CTS scored higher on the knowledge assessment than patients who did not access the internet for more information.