Can you provide images or video links for patient use?

Providing Images and Videos for Patient Use

You can provide images and videos to patients for educational purposes, but you must ensure proper consent was obtained, anonymize patient-identifiable content, and use reputable sources rather than unverified social media platforms. 1

Key Principles for Sharing Medical Images/Videos with Patients

When Using Your Own Clinical Images

• Anonymized images from routine care can be shared without additional consent if the images were taken during standard patient care and cannot identify the patient 1

• Patient-identifiable images require explicit written consent before sharing, even for educational purposes 1

• Never store patient-identifiable images on personal mobile devices - follow your institution's data capture and retention policies 1

• If you obtained consent during a procedure (e.g., while patient was sedated), you must seek renewed consent once the patient regains capacity before using the recording 1

When Directing Patients to External Resources

Videos and educational materials can be beneficial - studies show that patients who view educational videos have better knowledge retention and become more actively involved in decision-making 1

However, exercise extreme caution with online sources:

• YouTube is NOT a reliable source - systematic reviews show that 23.8-70% of medical videos contain misleading information, and misleading videos actually receive MORE views and likes than accurate ones 2, 3, 4

• Only 18% of health websites meet quality certification standards 5

• Videos from independent users are 6.48 times more likely to be misleading compared to government/health organization sources 3

Recommended Approach for Patient Education Materials

Prioritize these sources in order:

1. Institutional or governmental videos - highest quality and reliability 2, 3

2. Academic medical center content - second-tier quality 2

3. Professional medical society resources - vetted by specialty organizations 1

Avoid directing patients to:

• General YouTube searches (unverified content)
• Social media platforms like Instagram or Twitter for medical information 2
• Independent user-generated content 3

Best Practices for Video Content

When selecting or creating educational videos for patients, ensure they include: 1

• Casual, non-clinical language with concise, positive tone
• Video demonstrations preferred over text - ideally featuring other patients when appropriate
• Layman summaries with trusted source attribution
• Short-term, achievable goals rather than overwhelming information
• Clear labeling of the source and credentials of presenters

Critical Warnings

Never post patient cases on social media without explicit consent - this includes "anonymized" cases, as patients may still be identifiable 1

Avoid "medutainment" - posting dramatic cases to attract attention misrepresents practice standards and creates unrealistic patient expectations 1

Respect withdrawal requests - if a patient asks for content to be removed, it must be deleted immediately 1