A national review of NHS policies and patient perspectives on surgical video: a prospective, mixed methods qualitative analysis
File(s)
Published version
Author(s)
Type
Journal Article
Abstract
Background
Robust governance policy is a fundamental requirement for the adoption of routine surgical video recording at scale. The true extent of existing local National Health Service (NHS) policies relevant to the recording of surgical video is currently not known, as are patient attitudes to the use of these videos by healthcare providers.
Methods
This was a prospective, mixed methods qualitative analysis. All 144 NHS trusts/boards in England and Wales were asked to provide policies relating to surgical video between 20th February and 20th March 2023. Policies were assessed in accordance with United Kingdom (UK) General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) principles. A patient and public questionnaire was performed on 14th September 2024 to analyse public views on the role of surgical video within healthcare and to identify issues surrounding video recording of surgical procedures within the NHS.
Findings
143/144 (97.9%) NHS trusts/boards responded to the request. Relevant policies were provided by 43/144 (29.9%) trusts/boards. 35/43 (81.4%) addressed consent processes clearly, 21/43 (48.8%) provided clear statements regarding patient access, and 35/43 (81.4%) policies asserted the trust/board’s copyright. 19/43 (44.2%) clearly stated data minimisation and data accuracy requirements. 11/43 (25.6%) stated storage duration and 20/43 (46.5%) specified storage location. 255 members of the public completed our surgical video questionnaire. Identified expected uses of video were education, record keeping, and research; benefits were its use as an educational tool, objective evidence of the procedure, and patient satisfaction; concerns were raised about data privacy, consent, and security. 80/255 (31.4%) of participants agreed that all surgical procedures should be recorded. 186/255 (72.9%) would be interested in their own procedure. Video use for surgical quality assurance (236/255, 92.5%), education (241/255, 94.5%), and research (242/255, 94.9%) was supported.
Interpretation
The majority of NHS trusts/boards do not have policies governing surgical video recording, use, and/or storage. The supplied policies addressed UK GDPR principles variably, focusing mainly on consent. Patients strongly support the use of surgical video for quality assurance and education, but there is disagreement if this should be performed routinely. The discordance between patient expectation and current NHS practice for the routine recording of surgical video must be addressed when policy is revised.
Funding
KL is supported by an NIHR Academic Clinical Fellowship and acknowledges infrastructure support from the NIHR Imperial BRC.
Robust governance policy is a fundamental requirement for the adoption of routine surgical video recording at scale. The true extent of existing local National Health Service (NHS) policies relevant to the recording of surgical video is currently not known, as are patient attitudes to the use of these videos by healthcare providers.
Methods
This was a prospective, mixed methods qualitative analysis. All 144 NHS trusts/boards in England and Wales were asked to provide policies relating to surgical video between 20th February and 20th March 2023. Policies were assessed in accordance with United Kingdom (UK) General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) principles. A patient and public questionnaire was performed on 14th September 2024 to analyse public views on the role of surgical video within healthcare and to identify issues surrounding video recording of surgical procedures within the NHS.
Findings
143/144 (97.9%) NHS trusts/boards responded to the request. Relevant policies were provided by 43/144 (29.9%) trusts/boards. 35/43 (81.4%) addressed consent processes clearly, 21/43 (48.8%) provided clear statements regarding patient access, and 35/43 (81.4%) policies asserted the trust/board’s copyright. 19/43 (44.2%) clearly stated data minimisation and data accuracy requirements. 11/43 (25.6%) stated storage duration and 20/43 (46.5%) specified storage location. 255 members of the public completed our surgical video questionnaire. Identified expected uses of video were education, record keeping, and research; benefits were its use as an educational tool, objective evidence of the procedure, and patient satisfaction; concerns were raised about data privacy, consent, and security. 80/255 (31.4%) of participants agreed that all surgical procedures should be recorded. 186/255 (72.9%) would be interested in their own procedure. Video use for surgical quality assurance (236/255, 92.5%), education (241/255, 94.5%), and research (242/255, 94.9%) was supported.
Interpretation
The majority of NHS trusts/boards do not have policies governing surgical video recording, use, and/or storage. The supplied policies addressed UK GDPR principles variably, focusing mainly on consent. Patients strongly support the use of surgical video for quality assurance and education, but there is disagreement if this should be performed routinely. The discordance between patient expectation and current NHS practice for the routine recording of surgical video must be addressed when policy is revised.
Funding
KL is supported by an NIHR Academic Clinical Fellowship and acknowledges infrastructure support from the NIHR Imperial BRC.
Date Issued
2025-10-01
Date Acceptance
2025-08-21
Citation
EClinicalMedicine, 2025, 88
ISSN
2589-5370
Publisher
Elsevier
Journal / Book Title
EClinicalMedicine
Volume
88
Copyright Statement
© 2025 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC li- cense (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/).
License URL
Publication Status
Published
Article Number
103490
Date Publish Online
2025-09-10