SP6.4 - Were QR codes to distribute information to patients following a consultation beneficial in a clinical setting?

Abstract Aims To investigate whether the use of QR codes to distribute information from brochures online would be accepted and preferred by patients compared to physical paper brochures; If paper waste can be reduced - fewer brochures being printed and discarded and hence eco-friendly and cost effective Methods Benign breast conditions were chosen for this project and QR codes generated with specific URLs for each booklet linked to a scannable QR code. At the end of clinical consultation, the Consultant invited and guided patients to scan the QR code brochure specific for their symptoms. 60 patients, from October 2022 to March 2023 were invited to take part in this original study, as a part of their consultation, with their responses gathered and analysed. Results 60 patients completed the feedback form with a 100% response rate. The age range was 20 to 70 (mean age = 45 years), of which 76.7% were aged under 50 years, and 96.7% were female. The majority (78.3%) preferred accessing an electronic leaflet via a QR code instead of a paper leaflet, and 88.3% found it easier to access information online via the QR code over other methods to access websites. Conclusions The majority of the patients were satisfied/very satisfied with the use of QR codes to access the online brochures. Although this was a simple study, it provides the basis to design a larger trial with a standardised methodology procedure, so that we can draw meaningful results from appropriate statistical analyses.