Pilot Study of Personalized Video Visit Summaries for Patients With Cancer

PURPOSE: The treatment of cancer is complex, which can overwhelm patients and lead to poor comprehension and recall of the specifics of the cancer stage, prognosis, and treatment plan. We hypothesized that an oncologist can feasibly record and deliver a custom video summary of the consultation that covers the diagnosis, recommended testing, treatment plan, and follow-up in < 5 minutes. The video summary allows the patient to review and share the most important part of a cancer consultation with family and caregivers. METHODS: At the conclusion of the office visit, oncologists recorded the most important points of the consultation, including the diagnosis and management plan as a short video summary. Patients were then e-mailed a link to a secure Website to view and share the video. Patients and invited guests were asked to respond to an optional survey of 15 multiple-choice and four open-ended questions after viewing the video online. RESULTS: Three physicians recorded and sent 58 video visit summaries to patients seen in multidisciplinary GI cancer clinics. Forty-one patients logged into the secure site, and 38 viewed their video. Fourteen patients shared their video and invited a total of 46 visitors, of whom 36 viewed the videos. Twenty-six patients completed the survey, with an average overall video satisfaction score of 9 on a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 being most positive. CONCLUSION: Video visit summaries provide a personalized education tool that patients and caregivers find highly useful while navigating complex cancer care. We are exploring the incorporation of video visit summaries into the electronic medical record to enhance patient and caregiver understanding of their specific disease and treatment.