‘Is There a Video for That?’ Caregiver Education Video Boosts Confidence
When in-person classes on central venous catheter care were limited due to the COVID-19 pandemic, educational videos became even more important.
Oncology nurses are responsible for educating patients and caregivers on central venous catheter (CVC) usage after bone marrow transplant, but in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, in-person classes were restricted.
So, a team at the Wayne State University Barbara Ann Karmanos Cancer Institute created patient education videos to enhance the skills and improve confidence in patients and caregivers performing CVC care.
“The need for the video actually became imperative in March 2020 when the COVID-19 pandemic struck. What we have traditionally done for our bone marrow transplant patients that will be going home with their central venous catheters still inserted is instruct their caregivers how to safely and effectively take care of it. When the pandemic struck, visitor restrictions prohibited [these] classes,” said Denise Henderson, Med, BSN, RN, OCN.
Henderson presented her team’s process during a poster presentation at the 46th Annual ONS Congress. She said that the project started before the pandemic, when the most frequently asked question by patients and caregivers in the class was, “Is there a video for this?”
Once COVID-19 swept the nation, the nurses realized how important video instructions would be.
Nurses served as producers, voice over recorders, script writers, and onscreen talent, while the hospital’s media specialist did pre-/post-production, editing, and graphics. The result was a 7-minute video called “Taking Care of Your Central Venous Catheter.”
The video helped to ease patient and caregiver apprehension when it came to the complex skills of CVC care. At the time of the poster publication, “Taking Care of Your Central Venous Catheter” had more than 300 views on YouTube.
As the hospital’s visitor policy begins to loosen, oncology nurses are still using the video to help educate patients and caregivers.
“We use this now in adjunct [to in-person education], as caregivers are slowly allowed back in the institution,” Henderson said. “They still say, ‘is there a video?’ and because of the process that we put in place to get the video done, we can now say yes.”
Reference
Henderson D, Beaver C, Mitchell J, Cook S. Developing Effective Patient Education Videos, From a Not So Simple Process to Implementation. Presented at: 46th Annual ONS Congress. April 20, 22, 27, 29, 2021. Virtual
