Case Studies
Dr. Brian Madden, Family Practitioner
Peak Health Medical Group, Santa Monica, CA
wired.MD's™ streaMed® Patient Education Solution has become a valuable tool at Peak Health Medical Group, a 4-Physician Primary Care Practice in Santa Monica, CA. Dr. Brian Madden, a family practitioner with Peak Health Medical Group explains why he feels video content is an effective medium, how streaming videos save time, and how the quality of technology and the support behind it has enhanced their streaMed experience.
With only one nurse practitioner and 15 minutes per physician/patient interaction, patient education was piecemealed together at Peak Health Medical Group. The education consisted of some one on one consultation, flow-charts from the American Academy of Family Physicians, some handouts and Websites. The effectiveness of this education has been almost impossible for the practice to pin down due to a lack of patient feedback. They gather, however, that the one on one consultations have been the most effective and satisfying for their patients.
Prior to learning of wired.MD the physicians at Peak Health Medical Group had already concluded that video education would be a useful tool in their practice for conveying information that they would otherwise have to state themselves. wired.MD's streaMed Patient Education Solution was the answer. streaMed provides retention-based patient education videos and customized handouts on diagnoses and procedures that may be viewed in an exam room, patient education room, library, or the patient's home. Studies show video learning conventions are a highly effective method of delivering patient education, increasing information retention by up to 16 times over text alone. Video presentations have been shown to increase compliance with treatment plans, lower anxiety and increase preparedness for procedures.
"We have been very impressed with the content. The videos do a good job of not being too specific in that we would have to tell a patient not to listen to certain sections. If anything, we just add the extra elements that would apply to their situation or their condition. It is very useful to show the video at the point of care and interact with the patient afterwards. This way it has the greatest impact," says Madden.
When asked about his patient population and the utilization of language videos, Madden answered, "We are on the Westside of LA and are a little more diverse. All of us speak a second language. In respects to Spanish, I speak it almost fluently and I really like to use the videos to reinforce what I have said and to get a better translation. This also gives the nurse an ability to educate while I am out of the room."
streaMed has content in multiple languages further allowing practices and healthcare organizations to educate their patient population. streaMed has it's most popular videos in seven languages as well as hundreds of text handouts in English and Spanish. wired.MD continuously develops needed content in multiple languages.
streaMed has been an effective time saving tool as well in that it covers much of the Physician's one on one educational consultations. Madden explains, "I do feel it covers all of the groundwork for you and it saves the time that you would spend explaining the basics of the condition (5 to 10 minutes). By reducing this time you can get to the larger elements of the physician/patient relationship such as answering the questions that are key to the patient. You can focus further on the individual needs of each patient."
When asked to cite another time saving example Madden describes how redesigning the workflow to incorporate streaMed as a part of the diagnoses process would work. "Since I use the web or 'at home' component so much, we see ourselves using the Information Prescription Codes (an 8-digit code that allows the patients to go to their physician's access-secured customized website) to let the patient prepare for an upcoming visit with hopes of upcoding through CPT codes. The patient can watch the video at home before ever entering into the office. We also utilize streaMed in the exam room at the start of the visit if the diagnosis is already known, for example to educate a Diabetes patient. "
When asked about the technology support at wired.MD Madden had this to say, "We have looked at multiple vendors and the response wired.MD has given us and what they have been able to do with us is unprecedented. They have not limited us at all. If anything they have allowed us to expand upon the product for our benefit and purposes. Any problems I have had thus far have been on my end with my technological limitations."
"The quality of the streaMed technology is great and the streaming video quality is flawless. I have used my home DSL to watch the videos and it looks excellent. I have tried a modem dial up as well and it is comparable in quality with just a smaller screen size, but it is only a matter of time until that increased." Madden added.
For Peak Health, one of the biggest attributes of streaMed is the fact that it can be shown either in the office or at home. "No matter where you are you can get access to it. Feature-wise that is the #1 thing," says Madden. He continued to add "another plus is that it is on the Internet, since that is where the future of medicine is and where it needs to be. The third selling point is the quality. It looks good and it enhances our patient's perception of our organization and that we are moving forward with technology."
About those Physicians who provide text handouts as their source of patient education Madden would like them to know: "They should strongly consider that this is where patient education is going to be in the future and perhaps they will find it to be better education with less hassle. I really think that the quality of the patient education is better. If you are not providing patient education, that is surprising. If you are providing patient education, you should find this to be superior.
Anesth &Analg 87(3):531-6 2 J Cardiopul Rehab 19(3):170-7 3 EUR J Cancer 36(12):1536-1543 4 Cancer Nurs 21(2):143-8
