The Art of Learning

Tana Loy

Associate Medical Writer

Learning as a concept has been studied extensively. Researchers have developed many different theories of learning that describe how information is taken in by a learner, how it is processed, and how the information is retained. Advances in technology have resulted in information being presented in many nontraditional forms, including live-action video and animations.     

  

Live-action video has long been a bastion of learning in the classroom. Computer animations, however, are an increasingly popular teaching tool. So which is more effective? Last year, researchers at Texas A & M University reported in Contemporary Issues in Technology and Teacher Education the results of a study that documented the differences in viewers’ responses to instruction using a computer animation versus live-action video. Although there were some benefits of live-action video, 3-dimensional (3-D) computer animations proved their effectiveness. Live-action video can often become dated, whereas  3-D animations can be updated and reused. Animations were also proven to effectively demonstrate nuances in human behavior, something that was once thought not possible.

There is one huge advantage that 3-D animations offer that might not seem as obvious. While the study did not claim that animations are more effective than live-action videos, it does claim they are just as effective. Looking further into this reveals a hidden advantage: live-action video can show only things visible to the human eye, 3-D animations can show what live-action cannot.

Doug Walp, a certified medical illustrator at AHE, says that animators can show what the camera can’t see and can even show scenes with full color and shadows. “Animations are engaging and inspiring. They make people wonder and are so immersive. Animations make the audience want to find out more,” says Walp.

Mike Boasso, Director of Medical Illustration at AHE, concurs. “I’ve been working in the medical illustration field, specifically the pharmaceutical field, for the past 11 years. In my opinion, one of the best educational tools you can use is an animation. Animated videos clarify, elucidate, and entertain.”

Using videos as a teaching tool is nothing new, but animations have much to offer. In the context of patient education, animations can demonstrate clearly and simply how to take medications, the mechanism of action of a medication or disease pathology, or exactly what will happen during a surgery. Animations offer much more than just pretty colors and nicely drawn objects. They reinforce information, and can be just what the doctor ordered!

Artcraft Health Education is a marketing communications agency specializing in health education solutions for healthcare professionals, patients, and caregivers. AHE Digital animations can breathe extra life into medical illustrations and encourage interaction between healthcare professionals (HCPs) and patients. Visit www.artcrafthealthed.com to learn more.

Getting “Face” Time for Clinical Trial Recruitment Using Social Media

Lisa Calderwood, MA

Senior Medical Writer

Recruiting patients on a timely basis for clinical trials is a challenge. Traditional media, such as print ads or television and radio spots, are designed to target desired demographics. But a recent study finds that about 80% of clinical trials fail to meet timelines for enrolling patients.

It’s no wonder, then, that patient recruitment service providers and study sponsors are tapping into social media to find eligible patients. After all, with about 1 billion people worldwide on Facebook (1 in 7 people), the reach and immediacy of the network are undeniable. Plus, ads can be more narrowly targeted to specific regions and users than traditional media.

It appears the social media patient recruitment trend is growing. A January 2013 report by Industry Standard Research (ISR)¹ surveyed 104 patient recruiting agencies globally about using social media to find eligible patients. It revealed that: 

·         17% are avoiding or abandoning social media

·         17% are aggressively using social media and are “rolling out the strategy to many clinical trials”

·         67% report their companies are either “evaluating” the strategy or “testing” the strategy

Gaining traction from Facebook to find emergency patients for trials

What happens when, say, a heart attack patient in the ER is too ill and/or has no one to provide informed consent for him to enroll in a trial on cardiac arrest? Well, there are alternatives. This kind of study can be granted an Exception From Informed Consent (EFIC). The EFIC guidelines—developed by the FDA and Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS)—say that in specific circumstances patients can be enrolled without informed consent, but the trial’s investigator and institutional review boards must provide public disclosure and local community consultation before recruiting patients. That usually has meant that EFIC trials use town hall meetings, random phone dialing, and other traditional outreach methods.

That may be changing. In a recent article in MedPage Today, Chris Kaiser reviewed a study published in Circulation, which compared using social media versus traditional methods to comply with public disclosure requirements for EFIC trials. The trials, conducted by the University of Alabama (UAB) School of Medicine, placed targeted Facebook ads for studies related to cardiac arrest and trauma. Those viewers who selected the ads were led to the study’s website. The UAB authors provided a compelling cost/benefit analysis of their social media campaign versus the use of community meetings for another EFIC trial.  

The Facebook campaign cost $1,000 and led to 5.1 million viewer hits ($0.0002 per view). That translated to 437 visitors to the study’s website ($2.29/visit). The traditional campaign cost $8,000 for 39 community meetings, with 465 attendants at $17.24/person.

It’s clear that social media not only has applications for finding eligible patients able to provide informed consent, but also for gaining community support to enroll patients for emergency research studies in which informed consent may not be a viable option. The possibilities are intriguing!

AHE Clinical Trials has expertise in creating engaging digital platforms and traditional media for your patient recruitment campaigns, retention efforts, and patient education needs. Contact Brian Schaechter, Director, Business Development, Clinical Trial Market. Phone: 908-483-4241 E-mail: bschaechter@artcrafthealthed.com

¹ISR Report. Social Media: Best Practices and Strategic Use in Patient Recruitment, January 8, 2013. 104 global respondents. 

Also see: 

MedPage Today.  Facebook May Help Recruit for Cardiac Trials.

http://www.medpagetoday.com/PracticeManagement/PracticeManagement/40558?xid=nl_mpt_DHE_2013-07-19&eun=g708126d0r&userid=708126&email=cbrock@scottcare.com&mu_id=5870138

 Stephens, SW, et al. Preliminary experience with social media for community consultation and public disclosure in exception from informed consent trials. Circulation 2013; 128: 267-270. http://circ.ahajournals.org/content/128/3/267.extract

The Impact of Digital Tools on Health Education

Lisa Moss Calderwood, MA
Senior Medical Writer, Artcraft Health Education

Picture this. Your child has been diagnosed with high blood pressure, a chronic, potentially dangerous condition if not managed carefully. Your pediatrician prescribes a low-salt, low-fat diet, exercise, and a daily hypertension medication. Fine, you think. But how are you going to get Johnny—your 11-year-old, somewhat overweight child who loves playing computer games much more than playing outdoors—to comply?

As you’re waiting in the exam room on a follow-up visit, a nurse enters who takes his blood pressure and then gives him a tablet device to play with while you wait for the pediatrician. You watch with growing interest as your son quickly engages with a game on the tablet that teaches him about hypertension and challenges him to learn more in order to gain points. When the doctor comes in to discuss your son’s latest numbers, Johnny pipes up, “Oh yeah, that’s the systolic number! I know what that is.”

Meanwhile, his mother is given a web key to a website that she can visit on her own time that will give her support as she navigates the challenges of pediatric hypertension. The web key also has a link to the game so Johnny can continue playing it on his family’s tablet or mobile device. Not only that, the web key also has information about a clinical trial on pediatric hypertension that the family may consider joining.

If the nurse had given Johnny and his mother brochures—or just talked about blood pressure— would they have retained or applied the information as well?

Johnny may be more likely to adhere to his treatment plan if he understands his condition and his mother applies some of the tips for adherence that she learned on the website, or from a clinical trial. With the right application, in the right circumstances, and with clear content and design, successful patient outcomes may come down to the effective design of a versatile digital learning tool.

Digital Health’s Versatility

“Any time, any place, any pace” training using digital media is a practical and relevant form of education, whether on the Internet or an iPad, and whether for healthcare professionals (HCPs) or patients. There are thousands of health apps on iTunes and Google Play for phones or tablets. Topics range from understanding disease states and treatments, to coping with chronic conditions, symptoms, and side effects, not to mention popular trackers for medication adherence, diet, exercise, and more. PocketMD, a directory of hundreds of mobile apps created by pharmaceutical, biotech, medical device, and life science companies, offers free apps to patients and providers to download on their iPhones or Android devices. And that directory is just the tip of the iceberg.

Mobile health’s (mHealth’s) advantages of interactivity and immediacy may have potentially far-reaching implications for quality health outcomes. And not just in patient or HCP education. Fierce Biotech notes how “the power, versatility and ubiquity of mobile devices give them the potential to improve many (clinical) trial processes.” With patient recruitment and retention in clinical trials a major challenge, mHealth is providing some engaging solutions in this area as well.

Tracking the Effectiveness of Digital Tools for Health Learning

While research is unfolding about how patients learn using digital tools, the trend is clear: patient and HCP learning is not just going digital, it’s already there. Patients like Johnny are learning on tablets in the doctor’s office. Consumers download apps their doctor might prescribe or that they find on their own, creating their own e-health clouds. Pharmaceutical companies, providers, and other healthcare stakeholders are focusing on users’ demand for content to address their own agendas for marketing, training, and quality health outcomes.

Key to the effectiveness of these tools is an understanding of health literacy levels. According to a 2011 study performed by the Pew Internet and American Life Project, 59% of Americans use the Internet to search for health information. However, studies show that the reading level of these materials is not at the typical seventh- to eighth-grade level. The American Medical Association, the National Institutes of Health, and the US Department of Health and Human Services encourage patient education materials be written at as low as fourth- to sixth-grade reading levels. Digital tools for patient education must follow these health literacy principles to be effective.

ROI or ROE?

Technology in itself is not a solution for patient or HCP education, or assuring the success of a clinical trial. But when applications are devised that consider the users, the content, and the context of use, the likelihood of a positive return on investment (ROI) is increased. Or, as Sarah Ray, a research analyst for Cutting Edge Information, reports (Evolving Mobile Strategy Requires that Pharma Move Beyond ROI), “companies are now using return on experience (ROE) as a gauge of success.” ROE, with its focus on quantitative and qualitative measures, may be more applicable digital patient learning.

The trend is worth watching. AHE can help.

AHE Digital is at the forefront of digital patient learning combining health literacy principles; robust, cross-platform functionality; and stunning animations and design. AHE Clinical Trials offers traditional and digital media solutions for all phases of clinical development, from recruitment to follow-up.