Patient journey films are brilliant at capturing the character and soul of your healthcare facility. Reassuring future patients that they will receive the highest level of care is every facility’s priority. Be the patient undergoing cancer treatment or cardiovascular surgery, first-hand accounts from current patients are imperative in relieving anxieties.
But patient journey films don’t just focus on the patient’s perspective. Having specialists detailing the procedures from diagnosis to recovery is significant in alleviating concerns. All of this information is vital in alleviating any worries and establishing your trustworthiness.
At Kartoffel Films, our fantastic in-house, London-based team has experience creating patient journey films for well-known health charities and hospitals. We know what makes video content in the health sector tick. Patient journey films, in particular, require a lot of care and consideration when filming people undergoing treatment for serious illnesses.
Have a glance through our patient journey films we’ve made so far and see what we can do for you.
Supporting People with Learning Disabilities – Macmillan Cancer Support
When it comes to diagnosing cancer, extra challenges are imposed on people with learning disabilities. Years of being ignored and disregarded, especially by medical professionals as well, have led to distrust and confusion towards doctors. Simply having their symptoms dismissed or experiencing misdiagnoses, people with learning disabilities need extra support when it comes to cancer.
Our video about supporting people with learning disabilities for Macmillan Cancer Support combines both Amanda and Dr Tuffrey-Wijne’s experiences. The viewer sees the perspective of someone with a learning disability undergoing cancer treatment paralleled against a specialist providing information on treating someone with a learning disability. Amanda details the lead-up to her diagnosis, and her personal experiences of having a learning disability.
Dr Tuffrey-Wijne, from Macmillan Cancer Support, explains how there are strong communication problems when diagnosing cancer. Both patients expressing symptoms and healthcare professionals misunderstanding them, diagnoses often occur very late into their illness. In combating this, she stresses the importance of immediately involving a learning disability nurse, who can advise on communicating with that particular person. Often visual aids are used, picturebooks are offered and those close to the patient are needed to make sure symptoms are taken seriously and understood by all.
She emphasises how people with learning disabilities find it difficult to understand new and complex information. Straightforward manners of communication work best in helping them process their diagnosis and treatment.
Body Image – Macmillan Cancer Support
Cancer can leave you feeling lost or imprisoned within yourself. You have no control over your body, and it’s more difficult to rediscover body confidence. Our Body Image video for Macmillan Cancer Support combined the perspectives of four cancer survivors and how they overcame their respective body image issues after treatment.
These four stories tell the experiences of how treatment and recovery bring their own concerns to the table. Even though cancer has gone, it takes time to get used to the physical changes your body has sustained. Loneliness, confusion and anger are still prevalent even when the hardest times are over. There’s still more to beating cancer even after a series of successful surgeries.
Each participant in this video had different body image issues they had to overcome. Peter’s leg was amputated, Stacy was left infertile, Heather had a mastectomy, and Richard couldn’t control his bowel movements. They all found their way of combating their confidence issues through exercise, physiotherapy and self-expression. Macmillan Cancer Support aided all of these journeys and helped them become used to the extent to their different bodies.
This video effectively shows how each patient’s cancer story is unique and how Macmillan Cancer Support helps those suffering. The differences in stories and recovery procedures highlight the significance of normalising a cancer survivor’s body.
Myeloma – Macmillan Cancer Support
As discussed, patient journey films don’t just have to feature first-hand account from patients describing their treatment and recovery procedures. They can also put medical professionals at the forefront, relaying information to the public about specific ailments and medicines. Through this method, patients know they are receiving accurate information from a trusted source and know what treatments to expect.
In our Medical Information film for Macmillan Cancer Support, Dr Pawlyn describes in detail what myeloma is and where in the blood it can be found, the symptoms of this type of blood cancer are, and the various treatments involved. She starts by explaining what bone marrow and myeloma are, which age groups myeloma affects, and symptoms. This even includes how myeloma impacts the kidneys and bones.
Detailing the aim of treatment and simplified names of drugs, Dr Pawlyn makes this information as accessible as possible. The significance of making complex knowledge understandable ensures that the viewer doesn’t become overwhelmed and feels comforted by this information. Additionally, Dr Pawlyn explains where else the viewer can find more information on this subject matter, providing more insight into this condition and giving the viewer more flexibility in what research they would like to access.
We’ve also included some B-roll of the facilities at the Institute of Cancer Research and Dr Pawlyn conducting research. This type of extra footage is important in enriching your video content. Adding depth to the video, B-roll footage helps the viewer visualise the context of the video’s main subject matter and develop a clearer understanding of what Macmillan Cancer Support does for its patients.
Health Information – Royal Brompton & Harefield Hospital
Cardiovascular medical conditions are also a very complex illness, with patients requiring specialist equipment and care to treat them. Our Health Information video for the Royal Brompton & Harefield Hospital also puts the medical team at the forefront rather than the patients. The purpose of this video is to illustrate the function of the ventricular assist device, and the process of diagnosis.
Including an animation was vital in helping the viewer visualise the workings of the ventricular assist device. Motion graphics are crucial in explaining complex concepts and eases the patients’ worries of having this type of surgery to implement such a piece of equipment. Accompanied with a simple explanation, the viewer feels confident in the care they can receive and have fewer concerns about the operation.
Two specialists at the video’s centre summarising the procedures for diagnosis and the various tests they conduct put the patient’s mind at rest. The patient knows the expectations, standards and values of the hospital. Specifying the necessity of the 24-hour on-call service and at-home health emphasises how the hospital ensures that patients receive the best level of care from where they’re most comfortable. This highlights the hospital’s extensive expertise in dealing with such complex heart and lung conditions and the hospital’s accessibility. Mentioning these aspects of the hospital’s resources and facilities is significant in alleviating worries patients may have regarding upcoming surgery.
How Patient Journey Films Benefit You
This type of video content doesn’t just benefit current and future patients and your facility’s reputation. Patient journey films also help you understand the positive aspects of the patient journey at your healthcare facility and what potential improvements need to be made. As these films add authenticity and validity to your facility’s status, they also give you a chance to see what your patients take away from your level of care.
Through filming patient narratives, you gain better insight into the clinical relationship your team has with patients. If your patients refer to your staff by their first names, it’s clear to the viewer that a very strong rapport has been established and your facility is both a trustworthy and welcoming place to receive treatment. Likewise, smiles, eye contact and handshakes will also affirm these aspects of your relationship with patients.
You can also develop a clearer understanding of what parts of your caregiving you need to focus on. If patients are continuously mentioning a few aspects of their treatment rather than bearing weight to others, you can see what is going particularly well and what needs to be improved. These patient narratives will indicate the information you should further clarify to patients. Therefore, not only will the quality of your healthcare improve but any future patient journey films will provide more authentic information.
Final Thoughts
The wealth of information and authenticity naturally created by patient journey films proves that they are a crucial component of your healthcare marketing strategy. Nothing motivates and reassures patients more than witnessing first-hand accounts from patients and healthcare professionals, who are both passionate about your healthcare facility. Making your healthcare facility more personable emphasises your facility’s character and values, highlighting your commitment to optimum patient care.
With over 2000 videos, both animated and live-action, we can sort all of the logistics associated with your healthcare video, meaning no hassle or stress on your part. We are a full-service video and animation company based in London with a great in-house team. Still interested? Give us a call to get our creative partnership started.
