Isn’t it great how the internet can provide a multitude of information at the touch of your fingertips? With a few clicks of the mouse, you can find medical facts about any topic or condition. Most of us can admit we have used Google to self-diagnose, some of us ‘cyberchondriacs’ have done so more than others. But just how much do we rely on search engines to assuage our medical concerns?

In a study by Pew Research, 93 million Americans were found to have searched for health related information in 2013. When you consider 35% of internet users worldwide are online self-diagnosers, it is no wonder that businesses in the health industry are focusing more and more on digital marketing.

So how does video play a part in the web-health sector, in particular patient generated content?

Healthcare related videos on YouTube are being increasingly watched by 119% every year, mostly in an attempt to find information about complicated treatments or procedures, and healthcare or hospital facilities (Google Think Insights). With video marketing being the most engaging and fastest growing form of online marketing, it is clear that patient generated video can have huge benefits for the health industry.

How the Health Industry Can Use Patient Generated Video

Patient generated videos have been used in a multitude of ways to enhance the patient experience and assist practitioners in diagnosing and maintaining health conditions. Consider these 5 uses of patient generated videos and see how Clipchamp can help your business in creating and collecting content.

1. Video Patient stories

Patient generated videos make up 32% of online healthcare videos (Blinkjar). Businesses in the health industry should look to incorporate patient created content based around interviews and patient stories. Why? Video marketing can quickly and effectively get the point across while incorporating a human element that resonates with viewers. Showing people authentic patient recovery stories can give viewers hope while also subtly marketing the drugs and treatments which your company provides that lead to their recovery. The Clipchamp Video Request and our HTML5 camera API tools can allow you to easily collect and share your patient’s stories. If your patient’s have made great recoveries, ask them to share their experience with others by submitting their story through Clipchamp.

2. Client Video-Testimonials

Video testimonials are extremely effective in influencing consumers as they provide an opportunity for viewers to see and hear real customer experiences. According to Pew Research, 43% of people watch other patients’ video testimonials to get a better idea of the facilities, staff and environment of a practice. Clipchamp’s HTML5 camera API technology can be used to integrate a button onto your website that allows anyone to record and submit a video testimonial directly to your cloud storage of choice. Ask your past or current patients to submit their own video testimonials of their experience with your company, and feature them on your website or social media.

3. Recording doctors’ visits 

Video can be used to improve communication among current patients. In a study by Porter and Meeusen, providing patients with a video recording of their doctor’s consultation was seen to improve patient’s memories and decrease anxiety surrounding their problems. It was found that more than half the respondents watched their patient video more than once and over two-thirds shared their video with a family member, friend or another physician. 88% of patients found the video to be helpful to them, and 98% would recommend having their consultations recorded in the future. Clipchamp can be a great tool to share patient videos after doctor’s consultations. Doctors can use Clipchamp Video Requests to create a unique link to share their consultation videos to patients. The best part is the videos remain private between the source and destination as Clipchamp has no servers and does not store the videos at all.

4. Dementia patients

The Hebrew Home of Riverdale, New York has used pre-recorded UGC to increase the wellbeing of their patients. Every day is a new day for Alzheimer’s patients in the Hebrew Home and the staff has found that playing a video from their loved ones every morning helps to set a positive tone for the day without using drugs. The idea came from the movie “50 First Dates”, where Henry (Adam Sandler) plays a video to his brain-injured wife (Drew Barrymore) every morning to trigger her memory. Patients in the Hebrew Home wake up every morning to a video of the ones they love wishing them a great day, and this has become part of the morning routine for many. Clipchamp offers an easy way to collect videos from the family of dementia patients. By embedding our HTML5 camera API on your nursing homes’ website, anyone can easily click on the button to record or upload a video for their loved ones.

5. Patient Video Documentaries

Patient generated documentaries can allow both practitioners and current patients to gain a better insight into the issues and realities surrounding their health conditions. A study by Dr Richard Chalfen and others found that patients who documented their daily lives showed measurable improvement in their quality of life. Patients were asked to interview their family and friends and record personal monologues about their observations and understandings about their disease. The self-examination process allowed practitioners to better understand any counter-productive patient behaviour by putting it into the context of their daily lives, and assisted them in putting in place better management strategies. It can also assist practitioners by enhancing medical history-taking, and educating them about the realities of living with the health condition. Practitioners can easily collect patient documentaries by creating a unique Clipchamp link for each patient. The videos are automatically compressed and converted to your pre-set configurations, allowing multiple large files to be uploaded and stored in the same destination within minutes.

In summary, patient generated content can be beneficial to both practitioners and patients alike. Using patient videos on your website can help future patients to gain a better understanding of your practice and provide valuable insights into past patients experiences. It can assist current patients and their practitioners to understand more about their health conditions and also help them to work together to create better health management plans. Remember to follow the rules and regulations in your country surrounding the use of patient generated content. Always disclose how you will use the videos collected and gain permission from all patients before filming.

Visit our website for more information about how Clipchamp can help you access patient generated videos.