Now Showing: Multiscreen Health Education

Lisa Calderwood, MA

Senior Medical Writer

Now showing: multiscreen health education

“From smartphones and tablets to laptops and television, 90% of all media interactions today are screen-based.”—The New Multi-screen World: Understanding Cross-platform Consumer Behavior, Google, March 2012

Before joining Artcraft Health Education (AHE) as senior medical writer, I spent several years writing and producing educational videos for nursing educators, practitioners, and students, first as vice president of communications for the National League for Nursing (NLN) and, later, as a consultant for various medical clients. Videotapes were shipped internationally to schools, hospitals, and clinics. Today, the content is not all that different, but the delivery of health education has evolved dramatically: viewing occurs either simultaneously on multiple devices or sequentially as users move from screen to screen. 

Here at AHE, I come across something new and exciting each day in the way we help the medical industry share digital content with its stakeholders. Whether teaching a patient about his or her disease or helping a clinical trial recruit patients, we are creating and programming information to live on mobile devices, tablets, and laptops or through customized digital printing. This dynamic application of multiple layers of visual and textual elements creates highly compelling, interactive educational tools for doctors, nurses, and patients alike. 

Here are some intriguing trends in the use of multiscreen platforms worth watching.  

Paperless medical conventions

The printing industry probably just got a little more worried after the decision by the Cardiovascular Research Foundation (CRF) to sponsor a paperless meeting at the 25th anniversary event of the Transcatheter Cardiovascular Therapeutics (TCT) scientific symposium in San Francisco, CA. The CRF, a nonprofit organization, gave free Samsung tablets with a preprogrammed app to all paid attendees at the meeting to navigate their way through almost a week of sessions and events. There were no printed curricula, agendas, or brochures at the meeting. The tablet guide was a popular decision among attendees according to an online video summary of the event by TCT, although some couldn’t find their meeting locations in the app and there were limited printed schedules. There still is a place for print!

Videos and medical education

Video has long been used in medical and nursing education, but could it take the place of or reduce the time spent in class? Consider these examples.

·    The March 5, 2013, California Health Report reported on Videos on the cutting edge of medical education and referred to a shift in thinking among some schools to teach medical students using online videos, and then having those students come to class to review what they learned. This “flipped classroom” concept first gained traction in the K-12 sector by the online video–based Khan Academy, which is now offering medical school content. The Stanford University School of Medicine will soon teach its students via online videotaped lectures and is working with Khan to implement the program. The Khan medical videos are designed to “tell a story,” making the content more relevant to would-be practitioners

·    Videotaped clinical simulation learning is widely used in nursing education to document students’ clinical interactions with state-of-the-art patient mannequins. Educators replay the videos with students to debrief them on their clinical performance. See NLN’s Simulation and Technology to learn more

·     Live video streaming also helps practicing nurses and physicians participate in real-time Q&A online and earn accredited continuing medical education units (CMEs)

Artcraft Health Education offers multiscreen patient education

These are just a few examples of innovative multiscreen applications in healthcare. AHE can help you select the right platform to deliver your patient education or medical marketing messages—whether it is the tablet, an animation, a mobile app, or online learning. Our award-winning programs have supported scores of pharmaceutical, medical device, and biotech brands. Visit our website at www.artcrafthealthed.com/to learn more. AHE can help!

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.

Great American Smokeout

Tana Loy

Associate Medical Writer

It is amazing how quickly information, and the opinions that come with it, spread in our technology-driven world.  With the advent of social media, we have seen just how quickly mere tidbits of information can explode online, ending up on our news feeds and eventually being discussed amongst ourselves.  With this method of obtaining information, it would be extremely interesting to see how we could have changed the public’s opinion on cigarette smoking had the deleterious information been available online in 1964.  

Next year will mark 40 years since the United States Surgeon General released a comprehensive study revealing the negative effects of cigarette smoking.¹ It took US government until 1971 to ban all radio and television advertisements for cigarettes.¹ In 1965, 42% of adults identified as smokers.²  In 2011, that number dropped dramatically to 19%.³  While a 51% drop in significant, smoking still cost us over $193 billion in 2004.⁴ One would think that the financial costs alone would be reason enough to stop, as per-person costs are estimated at $4,260 per adult smoker in 2004.⁴ However, Americans are still willing to shell out over $10 a pack in some areas.  

What will it take to get the remaining one-fifth of Americans to quit smoking? By now, it is extremely common knowledge that smoking is truly dangerous, and how every part of one’s overall well-being suffers from the effects of smoking. Will telling smokers over and over about the damage second-hand smoke does to those around them, especially their children, light the spark to get them to quit?  Will social ostracization ever be enough of a motivator?  How about higher taxes on cigarettes or smoke-free workplaces?  

Instead of punishing the smokers in our lives, maybe this year we can take a different approach.  This year, let’s encourage our friends to abstain on November 21 for The Great American Smokeout. Let’s pledge to support them by being available to listen when their willpower is tested, or by helping them keep track of their physical and mental changes during their journey to becoming smoke-free.  Let’s celebrate small victories with a special meal or gift to keep them on the right track.  We can offer to join our coworkers in an exercise break instead of a smoke break. For the healthcare professionals with patients who smoke, why not start an initiative to offer a smoking cessation treatment plan every time they come in for a visit? We can become partners in their victory, because their victory affects us all.

ARTCRAFT HEALTH & WELLNESS Artcraft Health Education & Wellness develops innovative, custom solutions to help hospitals and clinics educate patients and their caregivers. We create highly customized solutions with easy-to-understand information that encourages open communication between patients and healthcare professionals. Our educational materials can help you increase patient compliance, improve health outcomes, reduce readmission rates, and ensure full Medicare reimbursement.

 

References

•  http://www.antismokingadvisor.com/anti-smoking-ad-campaigns

• http://www.lung.org/finding-cures/our-research/trend-reports/Tobacco-Trend-Report.pdf

• http://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/campaign/tips/resources/data/cigarette-smoking-in-united-states.html

• http://www.lung.org/stop-smoking/about-smoking/health-effects/smoking.html

 Publication Date November 6, 2013

Caregivers Awareness Month

Tana Loy

          Modern medicine and technology have been a miracle for so many of us. Science has produced drugs, machines, and therapies to lengthen our lifespans and improve our quality of life. This has introduced a new phenomenon to the American culture: caregiving. While providing care for family and friends is not new, the number of people who identify themselves as caregivers has grown exponentially in recent years. In 2009, there were an estimated 65.7 million people in the US who identified as a caregiver.¹ New advances in medicine aren’t the only reasons. The economic downturn has also forced many families to live together, with people providing unpaid care to their loved ones.²

          Our elderly loved ones are not the only demographic requiring assistance with their care. Many people also provide care to their own minor children or other relatives. However, one group of caregiving recipients is often overlooked: our nation’s veterans. 

          November is Caregiver Awareness Month, and on November 11, 2013, our nation celebrated Veterans Day. In a study published in 2010, 17% of caregivers to adults were providing support to veterans.³ As of 2013, there are approximately 11,000 caregivers enrolled in the Department of Veterans Affairs Caregiver Support Program.⁴ For caregivers of veterans of the post-9/11 era, this program provides a monthly stipend, 30 days of respite care, medical training for the caregiver, health insurance, mental health services, and travel reimbursement.⁵ However, for veterans who became ill or injured before 9/11, caregiving support is much more modest. Recently, new legislation was introduced to expand coverage to caregivers of veterans of the pre-9/11 era.

          Caregivers of veterans, whether or not they receive support, are performing a great service to our country, sometimes with great personal sacrifice. Caregiving is not an easy task, and caregiver burnout is a real condition. Caregivers may experience the following symptoms:

• Feelings of depression
• A sense of ongoing, constant fatigue 
• Decreasing interest in work
• Withdrawal from social activities and friends
• Increase in use of stimulants and alcohol
• Increasing fear of death 
• Change in eating patterns 
•  Feelings of helplessness

If you are a caregiver, Today’s Caregiver⁶ recommends the following tips to help you prevent burnout:

• Participate in a support network 
•  Consult with professionals to explore burnout issues 
•  Attend a support group to receive feedback and coping strategies 
•  Vary the focus of caregiving responsibilities, if possible (for example, rotate responsibilities with family members) 
•  Exercise daily and maintain a healthy diet\Establish "quiet time" for meditation 
•  Get a weekly massage 
•  Stay involved in hobbies

Caregivers are special people, taking on a job that is emotionally and physically challenging. However, there are resources available to help caregivers cope with the stress of caring for loved ones.

References:

1. Caregiving in the U.S.: Executive Summary (November 2009). Publication of National Alliance for Caregiving in collaboration with AARP. http://www.caregiving.org/pdf/research/CaregivingUSAllAgesExecSum.pdf.Accessed October 23. 2013.
2. Waseem F. Family caregivers on the rise, study says [news article]. USA Today Web site. http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2013/06/20/number-of-family-care-givers-increases-according-to-study/2438827/. Published June 20, 2013. Accessed October 23, 2013.
3. Caregivers of Veterans – Serving on the Homefront. Report of Study Findings: November, 2010.
4. Publication of the National Alliance for Caregiving and United Health Foundation. http://www.caregiving.org/data/2010_Caregivers_of_Veterans_FULLREPORT_WEB_FINAL.pdf. Accessed October 23, 2013.
5.  Freking K. Veterans' caregivers cut out from federal benefit [news article]. Huffington Post Web site. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/09/04/veterans-federal-benefit_n_3868068.html. Published September 4, 2013. Accessed October 23, 2013.
6. VA Caregiver Support: Services for family caregivers of post-9/11 veterans. United States Department of Veterans Affairs Web site. http://www.caregiver.va.gov/support_benefits.asp. Updated August 10, 2012.  Accessed October 23, 2013.
7.  Seligson MR. Caregiver burnout. Today’s Caregiver Web site. http://caregiver.com/articles/caregiver/caregiver_burnout.htm. Accessed October 23, 2013.

ARTCRAFT HEALTH & WELLNESS Artcraft Health Education & Wellness develops innovative, custom solutions to help hospitals and clinics educate patients and their caregivers. We create highly customized solutions with easy-to-understand information that encourages open communication between patients and healthcare professionals. Our educational materials can help you increase patient compliance, improve health outcomes, reduce readmission rates, and ensure full Medicare reimbursement.