DVD Prepares Patients for Transplant

TON - JUNE 2012 VOL 5, NO 5 — June 28, 2012

For patients with hematologic cancers, an educational DVD about the bone marrow transplant process can explain complex concepts and facilitate discussions with nurses, according to representatives of Be The Match (www.BeTheMatch.org/patients), a program of the National Marrow Donor Program, which is based in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

At the 37th Annual Congress of the Oncology Nursing Society held in New Orleans, Louisiana, Elizabeth A. Murphy, RN, EdD, and Ellen M. Denzen, MS, shared their experience with this teaching approach.

The Words of Experience. Stories of Hope (WOE) DVD is designed to help patients and caregivers understand the transplant process, to define the role of the medical team and caregiver, and to provide strategies for preparing for transplant, with a focus on hospital life. In 2011, the WOE DVD won the gold Telly Award in the Health and Wellness category, competing with more than 14,000 entries. The process is described from the point of view of previous transplant patients, who appear on camera discussing their experiences.

“The WOE, which is aimed at young adults, focuses on the sharing of the patient and caregiver experience. Patients consistently have told us that they want to hear about transplant from the patient’s perspective, and since they can’t always connect with other patients this is a way of doing that,” said Denzen.

The DVD is provided free of charge. Patients own their copies and can share them with caregivers. “The DVD serves to reinforce what providers tell the patient, and they find it very helpful,” Murphy said.

DVDs are among the most effective formats for communicating health-related messages to patients, as they have demonstrated a consistent increase in short-term knowledge and have outperformed written materials, lectures, and individual counseling. The benefits of DVDs are their familiar format, their ability to simplify complex concepts in a manner that is especially helpful to low-literate individuals, and their visual appeal, which increases interest and information retention, they said.

Survey Proves Value of the DVD Patients who will be undergoing transplant watch WOE prior to the procedure. Nurses reiterate the benefits and main points of the DVD, answer questions, and clarify concepts. There are chapters on orientation, conditioning, transplant, engraftment, early recovery, and long-term recovery.

The effectiveness of the DVD as a teaching tool prior to transplant was assessed over 3 years via a mailed survey of 209 patients and their caregivers. The survey assessed helpfulness, change in transplant knowledge, and change in anxiety regarding the transplant process after viewing the DVD.

The DVD viewers indicated the following:

  • 99% would recommend the WOE DVD to someone in their situation
  • 95% gained a better understanding of the transplant process
  • 97% gained a better understanding of the caregiver’s role
  • 88% developed useful strategies for preparing for transplant
  • 60% had less anxiety (or no increase in anxiety) about the transplant process
  • Higher education level was associated with lower levels of anxiety

Among the viewer’s comments: “The DVD collects information in one place and makes it more relevant and personal, with real people who speak directly to us,” and “It made me feel more in control and left me feeling hopeful.”

The WOE DVD has been viewed by more than 3000 transplant patients. Copies can be ordered online (https://secure.marrow.org/Contact/Materials/Request_Patient_Materials.aspx).

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