There’s no denying that video is a very powerful tool for communicating brands, ideas, and feelings. It’s the number 1 prevalent type of content in online channels. Many have pointed out video as a powerful tool for education in many areas, including medical education. Here’s where many professionals in the area scratch their heads and wonder: how can we use video in the best way possible in medical education?
The growing demands in learning medical topics
The medical community currently has a lot of information on its hands. With one Google search, it’s very easy to get lost in a myriad of information sources, all pointing to very distinct conclusions on a variety of topics. Yet the essential knowledge of certain thematics still seems far from reach to many physicians. And the urgency only increases with their need to be up to date with the latest developments and research in the field.
This is where educational videos come in as a light in the middle of a variety of information sources. With a click of the Play button, a medical professional learns about abstract concepts faster than ever. It can further visualize the proceedings on a variety of pharmacological or biological processes. Video in medical education is engaging and quick to teach the essentials on chosen topics.
The increasing popularity of explainer videos shows how more people, regardless of their work area, see in it a strong educational potential.
When composing a video for medical education purposes, there are a series of factors to keep in mind. And we will just share with you what they are.
What to consider when creating a video for medical education?
Keep it short and simple
Video may be a very effective tool for keeping a viewer engaged. Even so, it can get old and boring pretty fast. According to a study by Philip J. Guo, Juho Kim, and Rob Rubin on the impact of MOOC videos on student engagement, for the medical community, the ideal length should be 6 minutes.
Aside from the time matter, the topics have to be presented in an engaging fashion. Introduce a fast and enthusiastic style of narration and keep the content as conversational as possible. Make sure to personalize the material, considering the type of audience you’re directing it to.
Remember the cognitive load of your viewers
Remember that the viewer will still put in a big amount of mental effort to perceive the message. To help the audience’s viewing and information consumption process, consider the design, structure, and effects of the video. These are essential to successfully get the message across.
Here are a couple of elements to consider when putting together a medical education video:
- The on-screen text must highlight important information;
- Use symbols, keywords, and colour changes to your advantage during the sequence;
- Some information, unfortunately, needs to be cut out. Pick the main topics and create your sequence from there;
- Segment the information clearly and concisely;
- Narration is a must to help guide your viewers through the main highlights;
- Subtitles to what the narrator is saying are vital. Remember that on smartphones people tend to see videos on mute, so you need another way to get the message across.
Encourage the engagement of the viewers
The possibilities of video are endless, particularly with interactive series. For example, Netflix has already experimented with interactive series to keep audiences engaged.
In medical videos, seeing that they have an educational element to them, why not keep the medical viewers engaged with questions? Adding interactive questions helps to maintain the audience’s attention. Not to mention the fact that the focus on the topic at hand helps reduce the mental effort in the process.
You can also provide a variety of questions to the viewers that they should be able to answer after watching your video. By doing this you are helping the audience to have a lookout for the main learning incomes of a medical video.
What can we conclude?
There is no magical formula or a fixed structure on how to create the perfect video for medical education purposes. It works, as long as you can create a fitting and cohesive sequence for the audience at stake.
Video can be a very powerful learning tool that educates physicians or students. Always remember: scripting videos, particularly educational ones, is a vital skill that can help revolutionize the concepts of modern medical education. You will be saving your viewers time and providing them with huge benefits for their job.
If you need help in educating physicians or patients and guiding them through complex medical theories and procedures BlueNovius has the solution for you. With the help of PubExplainer and MedExplainer, our two video marketing solutions for pharma brands, you can sum up the main points of your medical topics in 90 seconds or less.