Technology has always been a driving force for how and where people experience patient education media. In the 1970s, 8mm movies were housed in plastic cartridges not unlike the 8-track music cassettes of that era and brought patient education movies to doctors’ offices and hospitals for the first time.

Then the 3/4 inch U-Matic video format became popular in hospitals and allowed facilities to show programming wherever they could cart a video player, albeit a big, heavy and expensive one. Then came the more mainstream Betamax and VHS, and CCTV expanded usage by piping programs directly into patients’ rooms. Recently on-demand digital systems have created an interactive viewing experience for patients and freed things up from the limitations of CCTV schedules.

Now high-speed cable and DSL Internet connections bring us video streaming and will again radically change the rules and expectations for patient education. According to JoAnne Nabozny, Director of Product Development at Milner-Fenwick, “Because technology is evolving, the way patients receive information from their healthcare provider is evolving too,”

Streaming content into patients’ homes

Nabozny is spearheading the development of a new product called HealthClips™, which brings patient education directly into patients’ homes via the Internet. This dramatically expands the reach of the healthcare provider and involves the patient before or after they come to the facility.

HealthClips™ gives providers the tools to give patients the right information at the right time. It’s an opportunity to integrate information seamlessly into the delivery of care.

For example, with streaming video, patients can be given easy access to pre-admission preparation guidelines well ahead of their treatment. Or facilities can offer programming that outlines recovery guidelines that patients may be too ill to view while at the facility. Chronic disease managers can now send patients specific educational messages via e-mail and prescribe companion videos related to the patient's condition.

Nabozny stresses, “It gives providers the tools to give patients the right information at the right time. It’s an opportunity to integrate information seamlessly into the delivery of care.”

Dan Nathan, Vice-President and General Manager at TeleHealth Services, a leading provider of on-demand technology, has been hearing a steady stream of calls for this type of education delivery system from his clients.

 “Since hospital stays are so short, many requests we get from hospitals are for patients to have access at home to the same videos they see while in the hospital.” Nathan says, “I can’t tell you how important that access will be, since we hear that from almost every client we talk to.”

Content designed for web delivery

HealthClips™ will differ from the typical 15 minutes length of most video programs by offering segments that are 5 minutes or shorter. Nabozny explains, “These clips will be more focused than traditional programs and patients will get the information they need without being overwhelmed.”

HealthClips™ was also developed because providers are looking for new and dynamic ways to draw patients or people in the community to their websites. Getting patients on their site reinforces the connection between the patient and the facility. Providers also want to direct patients to reliable information that they have direct control over. And once there, patients can learn about classes, community events, support groups, and any other activity the facility wants to give visibility to.

The projected launch for HealthClips™ will be the end of 2006 or early 2007. This newsletter will keep you current on the progress toward this goal and our next issue will offer streaming samples that you can experience firsthand. If you want more information on this new service, contact your customer representative at (800) 432-8433 or at sales@milner-fenwick.com.