Abstract
An instructional video entitled "A Video On Discharge Planning; An Experience in Amateur Film Making" was designed. The advantages and disadvantages of the video-production process were reviewed. The film-making process is described including scriptwriting, actor selection, the filming process, and the editing process. An analysis of the filming process revealed that several measures could prove time saving and ensure a high quality video, such as script writing, background selection, actor involvement, and the filming and editing processes used. The conclusion lists guidelines for a health education video production.
Because many patients are discharged from the hospital after a minimal hospital stay and/or before they are fully recuperated from their illness, they may require assistance with instructions on treatments and medications. Because of this trend, many patients require community nursing services to manage their illness at home. At our medical center, the community referral nurse coordinator was primarily responsible for coordinating the referral process for visiting nurses. This process requires educating and updating hospital staff.
Videotapes have become popular educational materials. They provide a consistent format of teaching and are easily accessible. Videos also allow the instructor to portray real-life situations in an educational setting. Gatewood (1990) discussed the advantage of using the educational videotape as a teaching tool. A major disadvantage of videotapes is their cost. Although some professionally made videotapes can be purchased, they can be expensive and/or may not be entirely appropriate for a particular setting. Many work settings do not have a budget for hiring a professional group to design an educational film. Costs have been estimated at $10,000 per video production or $1,000 per edited minute (Baggerly, 1991). Although amateur videos can be produced for less money, they demand much in terms of staff time and institutional resources. Production of a video includes script writing, consulting fees, graphics, actors, travel expenses, editing and filming fees, and/or staff.
Designing a video requires organization, flexibility, persistence, and creativity. Baggerly (1991) suggested developing a video if 1. the content lends itself to visual scenes and images; 2. the message can be delivered in 20 minutes or less; 3. the delivery of the message is profoundly enhanced by the video; and 4. the use of the video will outweigh production costs. Gatewood (1990) discussed the interdepartmental interaction and collaboration that was necessary for development of a mental health video. I decided that educational videotape would be an appropriate educational tool for our work setting.
As the community health nurse coordinator, I thought that a video would facilitate orientation and education of hospital staff and would allow viewing by the hospital staff when convenient to their schedules. Thus, I developed a video entitled, "The Community Referral Nurse Coordinator and Discharge Planning."