Since January, Drs. Ghalib Abbasi and David Putney have overseen the production of six instructional videos that have been viewed by nearly 1,000 patients who were discharged with prescriptions.
The 30- to 60- second videos feature HM pharmacists who explain the purpose and potential side effects of prescribed medications. Piloted on nursing units at HMTW and HMWB, the videos are texted to patients’ phones and feature Spanish transcripts.
Patients will only see videos that apply to them. “A patient will never see a video for a medication they’re not prescribed to take,” said Dr. Abbasi. Once they’ve watched a video, patients are given the option to ask questions via email.
Dr. Putney said, “Traditionally, patients get prescription information when there’s a lot of activity going on and it’s easy for them to be overwhelmed or foggy from their medication. These videos allow patients to view the information when they’re ready. They may not remember speaking with a nurse about their medication, but hopefully they’ll remember watching the video.”
There are nearly 30 videos in HM’s online patient education library and currently, about 10 videos are added per week, with hopes of adding hundreds more by year’s end. “In the short term, we hope the videos will increase both medication adherence and bedside conversations,” Dr. Abbasi said. “Our ultimate goal is to improve patient health by optimizing health care information delivery.”
