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Patient education in Mohs surgery: a review and critical evaluation of techniques

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Abstract

Background

Traditional in-person discussion alone is often used for preoperative education in Mohs micrographic surgery (MMS). The appropriate use of more modern education techniques is not well defined in the MMS literature.

Objective

The authors aim to evaluate patient education techniques for MMS, address education in special populations, and highlight opportunities for improvement.

Methods and materials

We performed a PubMed literature search with keywords “Mohs” and “education”, “teaching”, “understanding”, “explanation”, “preoperative”, or “consent” with no restriction on publication time frame due to literature scarcity.

Results

Teledermatology consultation, MMS videos, 3D models, pamphlets/online materials, and shared medical appointments appear to be effective techniques (GRADE B). Analogies are also anecdotally helpful when integrated into traditional verbal education (GRADE C). The role of preoperative educational phone calls is more controversial (GRADE C).

Conclusion

Regardless of the education technique utilized, no singular technique entirely replaces the traditional in-person discussion. Having access to multiple modalities can be beneficial for patients, allowing them options to choose their preferred method(s) of education. MMS is a difficult topic to conceptualize, and further research into educational techniques is needed to provide clear guidelines for Mohs surgeons.

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Data availability

Available upon request; data obtained from pubmed.gov.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Dermatology, Department of Medicine, Montefiore Medical Center, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, New York, USA

    Parth Patel

  2. Department of Dermatology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, USA

    Kunal Malik

  3. Department of Dermatology, SUNY Downstate, Brooklyn, New York, USA

    Amor Khachemoune

  4. Dermatology Service, Veterans Affairs Hospital, SUNY Downstate, 800 Poly Place Brooklyn, New York, 11209, USA

    Amor Khachemoune

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  1. Parth Patel
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Contributions

All authors contributed to the study conception and design. Material preparation, data collection and analysis were performed by Parth Patel, and Kunal Malik. The first draft was written by Parth Patel and Kunal Malik. Amor Khachemoune supervised the project and critically revised the work.

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Correspondence to Amor Khachemoune.

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Patel, P., Malik, K. & Khachemoune, A. Patient education in Mohs surgery: a review and critical evaluation of techniques. Arch Dermatol Res 313, 217–224 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00403-020-02119-5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00403-020-02119-5

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