EDUCATIONAL VIDEOS: A MODERN TOOL FOR PATIENT EDUCATION

Educational videos are great modern tools to educate your patients. There is a world of information that patients can access on a daily basis through their phones, computers and other tech devices. For patients who are familiar with technology, videos are a great source to turn to when they desire to learn more about a topic.

And with changes in patient charting and digital X-rays, most dental hygienists have access to a computer in the operatory, and some of us even have access to Wi-Fi in our offices. If you are fortunate enough to have either, take advantage of the technology and show some videos to your patients that will help educate them. Colgate® Professional is a great resource for educational videos on a variety of topics, including conditions, treatments and home care. Here are some tips to best utilize these resources.

Prepare Ahead of Time

You don't want to be searching for videos while your patient is sitting in your chair. In order to be prepared ahead of time, you can save your favorites to the web browser on your computer. For example, on the Colgate® Professional website, click on Patient Education, and then click on Images & Videos and save your favorites to your bookmark toolbar. Before you begin your day, open up your web browser and minimize it. When there is a need for the videos during the day, you can access your resources quickly.

If you are using a tablet or smartphone, you can be prepared by simply adding the Colgate® Professional mobile site as a shortcut on your home screen to access it. Videos on the Colgate® Professional mobile site include demonstrations of flossing and brushing. When you need the videos, simply tap the shortcut, and it will bring you directly to the videos.

Incorporate Videos Into Your Routine

Waiting for patient exams is a common occurrence in dental offices. It is also the perfect opportunity to employ videos. After you have completed treatment and discussed any necessary home care improvements, changes or additions, this is a great time to incorporate videos in the appointment. Say to your patient, "While I go ask the doctor for an exam, I would like you to watch this brief video. It will further explain what we have discussed today." And then, all you have to do is refer to your saved videos, hit play and walk away. When you return you can follow up on any questions your patient may have.

Educate Your Patients

Some patients are nervous when they come in for their appointments, some presume what dental hygienists will say to them, and others may misunderstand what dental hygienists actually have to say. All of these scenarios can inhibit our ability to educate our patients. Educational videos are designed using terminology and visual aids that patients can easily comprehend. When you introduce videos, your patients not only hear the message, they also see it. The visual and audio clues increase the chances a patient will understand everything you went over in your time together.

The Journal of Dental Hygiene states that "if the patient's ability to understand the terminology and comfort-level are not considered by the provider, messages may not get through to the patient as intended." Videos are a great way to help explain information in a sometimes more approachable way, which not only helps you educate your patients, it ultimately helps improve their oral health.

Takeaways

• Educational videos are a modern tool to inform patients.
• Videos on the Colgate® Professional site and mobile app are easy to access and easy to incorporate into appointments.
• Save the Colgate® Professional website as a shortcut on your home screen for easy access.

Why It's Valuable

When dental hygienists add a modern approach to patient education through the use of educational videos, we can increase patients' ability to understand the message we are trying to communicate.