Short videos for physicians: twenty topics patients want to see

Short videos work best when they answer something a patient is already wondering. You do not need a studio or a script that sounds like a commercial. You need a list of topics, a quiet room and a physician willing to talk plainly for a short time. Here are twenty topics in four themes, followed by notes on filming, captions, consent and review.

Questions patients ask before they book

Start with the questions your front desk hears every week. Ask the staff to write them down for a few days and you will have more material than you can film.

1. Who is a candidate for a service. Explain in general terms how you decide, and say that the answer for any individual comes from a consultation.
2. How to prepare for a first appointment. What to bring, what to fill out ahead of time and when to arrive.
3. How insurance and payment work at your office. Keep it general and point viewers to the staff for specifics.
4. The difference between two services people confuse. For example, two aesthetic treatments or two weight management programs your practice offers.
5. How to reach the practice after hours. Describe your office policy, not individual guidance.

What to expect, from the parking lot to follow-up

Much of the hesitation before a first visit comes from not knowing what the visit will be like. These videos show it.

1. A walk through the office. Film the route from the entrance to the exam room when the waiting room is empty.
2. What happens in a consultation. Go through the steps in order, including who the patient meets.
3. What the day of a procedure looks like. Cover check-in, who is in the room and how the visit ends.
4. How follow-up works. Explain how you check in afterward and how patients reach you with questions.
5. How to use your forms or patient portal. Record the screen with a demonstration account, never a real chart.

Meet the team behind the front desk and the exam room

Patients choose people as much as they choose services. Keep these videos informal and let each person speak in their own words.

1. Why the physician chose the specialty. One honest story is enough.
2. Recent training. Describe a course or procedure you studied recently and why you added it to the practice.
3. The nurse or medical assistant. Have them explain what they do during a visit.
4. The front desk. Put a face to the voice patients hear on the phone.
5. A morning at the practice. Show how the team sets up before the first appointment.

Myths and facts, explained by the physician

These videos get attention, and they also carry the most risk. Say what you would say in the exam room, describe how you approach the topic and avoid promising outcomes.

1. A common misconception about a service you offer. State it, then give your explanation in plain language.
2. Something patients read online that needs context. Add the context without criticizing the patient for asking.
3. Assumptions about who a service is for. Address ideas about age or gender that keep people from asking.
4. What a consultation commits a patient to. Make clear that it is a conversation and that the decision stays with them.
5. Misunderstandings about the practice itself. Clarify whether you take new patients or need a referral.

How to film a batch in one session

Filming one video at a time is how video projects stall. Block a single session and record several.

1. Choose the topics in advance and write a few talking points for each. Do not write a full script, because reading sounds like reading.
2. Use a phone held vertically on a tripod, face a window for light and use a small clip-on microphone.
3. Record each topic as its own clip and do two takes. The second is usually shorter and better.
4. Film the staff introductions and the office walk-through the same day, while the room is already set up.
5. Name the files by topic before you leave the room so editing is simple later.

Captions, consent and physician review before you post

Add captions to every video, because many people watch with the sound off. Automatic captions often get medical terms and drug names wrong, so have someone proofread them.

Get written consent from everyone who appears on camera, including staff. A patient's image, voice or story should be used only with a signed authorization, and all footage should be handled with HIPAA requirements in mind. Check the background of each shot for charts, screens, sign-in sheets and faces in the waiting room. Ask your counsel or compliance contact to confirm the forms you use.

A physician should watch every video before it is published and remove anything that sounds like a promise or individual medical advice. Rules on advertising medical services vary by state and by licensing board, so confirm the specifics with your counsel. AI tools can help draft topic lists, talking points and captions, but a physician reviews anything medical.

Start with five topics, film them in one sitting and listen for which ones patients mention. At Rx Medical Web, we plan video topics this way with the practices we work with.

This article is general information for medical practices. It is not legal or medical advice.