Getting the message across: the development and evaluation of a health education video in general practice

While many practices use, purchase or hire videos for health education purposes, a general practice in the North East of Scotland developed its own video. The practice staff were able to incorporate practice information and health education messages while using a local theme where all scenes in the video were either from within the town itself (where the practice is based) or within the surgery and all those appearing in the video are patients, local residents, and surgery staff. After showing in the waiting room of the surgery for two months, the video was evaluated for its potential to convey health information and its effectiveness in triggering patients to pick up specially designed healthy living leaflets on smoking, exercise, diet or alcohol that accompanied the video or to discuss health topics from the video. The evaluation showed that 84% of the patients interviewed watched the video and many provided positive comments. Whilst the video provided information in a comprehensible format and it was appreciated by many of the patients, few had picked up the leaflets or discussed any of the health issues with their GPs.