Forty patients, >18 years of age, who required arthroscopic repair of either a rotator cuff tear or a labral tear, were randomly assigned into 1 of 2 groups to determine the effect an educational video on shoulder arthroscopy had on patient satisfaction and information retention when paired with preoperative consultation. Patients either viewed an educational video in addition to consultation or received consultation alone. Results from the study indicated that patients in the video group answered a significantly greater amount of knowledge questions correctly than those in the control. A significantly greater proportion of patients in the video group also stated that their consultation contained an appropriate amount of information. However, when analyzing patient satisfaction following surgery, no difference between groups was demonstrated.