Video helps patients meet radiotherapy educational needs

(HealthDay)—Educational videos augmented by three-dimensional (3D) visualization software are useful for addressing radiotherapy patients' educational needs, according to a study published online Feb. 27 in the Journal of Medical Radiation Sciences.

Katelyn Williams, from the North West Cancer Centre in Tamworth, Australia, and colleagues examined the utility of treatment process videos in meeting patients' informational needs. Videos produced by staff and patients at a radiotherapy center included real footage and animated sections created with 3D visualization software to meet specific key content objectives. Patients watched a relevant video and were asked to complete an ethics-reviewed questionnaire about how well the video addressed their informational needs after their first fraction of radiotherapy.

Twenty-nine percent of the 212 patients completed the survey. The researchers found that 98 percent of patients reported that the video was useful in meeting at least one learning objective. As a result of watching the video, 49 percent of patients reported a reduction in fear and anxiety. Thirty-nine percent of patients reported subsequent review of videos at home, mainly to explain the treatment process to loved ones (46 percent).

"The combination of real footage and 3D visualization software assisted in meeting learning objectives regarding the treatment process," the authors write. "Standardized videos provided consistency of information provision to patients and facilitated multiple viewings of the video if desired."

Copyright © 2017 HealthDay. All rights reserved.