Using videos to educate your ObGyn patients

Putting it all together. With the smartphone in the tripod attached to the computer and the PowerPoint program serving as your notes, you are ready to create a video. We suggest limiting the recording to 5 to 7 minutes, the attention span of most patients. Those who want to produce a more professional looking video can use the editing programs iMovie on the Mac or Movie Maker on the PC.

Videos can be uploaded to your website, your EMR, or onto separate computers in each of your examination rooms. Depending on where you upload your videos (your own website or YouTube), patients can access them from home. An advantage of your own website and YouTube is that the videos can be viewed again and by patients’ significant others (which patients often inquire about the ability to do).

Other considerations
Videos that are conversational in nature, using the pronouns “I” and “we” and using such language as “my opinion” and “our patients” may hold the attention of viewers more than didactic “talking head” videos. In addition, creating videos on controversial topics that patients are interested in and need more information about can benefit patients and your practice.

Creating videos in other languages for your patients is an option as well. If you speak the language, then create your video in both English and the other language. Or you can create the script and ask a patient who speaks the non-English language to assist with the video production or voiceover. Also, there are other language videos for patients on YouTube. An excellent example of a Spanish-language gynecologic video on the pelvic examination is available (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IKsGYc-dCSI). It is easy to create a link from your website to a YouTube video. This requires requesting permission from the creator of the video. (We do not recommend showcasing another physician on your website.)

Example Patient education videos
Examples of videos on stress urinary incontinence and treatment with a midurethral sling can be viewed at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BFZj8x3-oCA and https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-gnOqkXiye0.

_{Dr. Neil Baum is the author of Social Media for the Healthcare Professional (Greenbranch Publishing, 2012).}

Advantages of creating videos
When patients are watching the video, you can conduct visits with other patients and even perform brief office procedures. You can anticipate an up to 15% to 20% improvement in office efficiency by using educational videos. And patients will appreciate the information and the written summary accompanying each video.

Videos and medical-legal protection
Documentation is necessary to protect yourself from litigation. Record the viewing of a video in a patient’s chart, as well as the receipt of pertinent written information. We suggest you also note that all of the patient’s questions were answered before the patient left the office. To confirm that the patient understood the condition, procedure, or surgery, you can ask the patient to fill out a true/false questionnaire after watching the video and also include it in the chart. A questionnaire I (NB) use after the patient watches a video on stress incontinence is shown in FIGURE 2.

A statement to accompany the questionnaire is also a good idea. Example: “<name of patient> watched a video on the treatment of stress incontinence. The video discussed the procedure and its risks and complications, and alternate treatments, including the option to have no treatment. She agrees to proceeding with a midurethral sling using synthetic mesh and understands the risks and complications associated with the use of mesh.”

An additional helpful option is to end your videos with a comment that addresses the statement and consent form you will ask the patient to sign. For instance, “I will return to the examination room and provide you with a summary of the <topic> and answer any questions you may have. I also will ask you to sign a procedure or operative consent form as well as sign a statement that says you have watched the video, understand the content, and have had your questions answered.”

We believe that this makes the video an excellent medical-legal protection tool for the physician and that the video enhances the informed consent process.

Bottom line
We are challenged today to provide quality care in an efficient and cost-effective manner. This is a concern for every ObGyn practice regardless of its size or location or whether it is a solo or group practice or academic or private. We can improve our efficiency and our productivity, maintain quality of care, improve patient adherence, and even improve outcomes using patient videos. So get ready for lights, camera, and action!

Share your thoughts! Send your Letter to the Editor to rbarbieri@frontlinemedcom.com. Please include your name and the city and state in which you practice.