Healthcare videos can help patients understand information better than written materials in some studied settings, particularly when they demonstrate a procedure or self-care task. But the evidence does not show that every video beats every pamphlet, reliably changes health behavior, or replaces a clinician’s explanation. The most useful approach is to match the format to the task and keep accessible print options available.
What the evidence says about video versus print
The clearest supported advantage is comprehension and knowledge—not better clinical outcomes. A 2024 systematic review and meta-analysis covering 28 studies found video more effective than traditional methods and written materials for comprehension in its eligible adult populations and measured outcomes. It found no statistically significant difference between video and oral discussion. Guglielminotti et al., 2024.
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That finding should not be read as a universal contest. Studies differ in audience, topic, video design, comparison material, and what they measure. A 2022 systematic review of 38 controlled animation trials found that 19 of the 30 studies measuring knowledge reported greater knowledge after animation. Attitude and cognition results were more often null, and behavior results were mixed. Risk-of-bias assessments were also a concern: 18 trials were judged high risk, 16 had some concerns, and 4 were low risk. Moe-Byrne, Evans, Benhebil, and Knapp, 2022.
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Knowledge gains do not automatically translate into changed behavior or improved health. In a 2023 review of chronic-illness education, knowledge improved in 30 of the 40 studies that measured it; improvement was less consistent for health behavior, healthcare use, and disease severity. Paquette et al., 2023.
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When a video is especially useful
Video is a strong candidate when a patient needs to see how something works or what to do. AHRQ identifies activities such as insulin injection, inhaler use, and exercise as examples that video can demonstrate. A moving image can show sequence, hand placement, or technique more directly than prose alone.
For a short factual explanation that a patient may want to scan, keep beside them, or consult later without a device, written instructions may be more convenient. The right choice depends on the learning task and the patient—not on production polish or a blanket rule that one medium is superior.
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How to make patient education video understandable and actionable
Set one learning goal
Decide what the viewer should understand or do after watching. Give the video an evident purpose, address the patient directly, and organize the explanation around that outcome. Avoid mixing several unrelated lessons into one piece.
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Break a procedure or self-care task into clear steps, in the order the patient should perform them. Pair narration with the visual action being described. Use everyday words, logical organization, readable on-screen text, and spoken audio that can be heard clearly. These are among the understandability and actionability criteria in AHRQ’s Patient Education Materials Assessment Tool (PEMAT) for audiovisual materials. AHRQ PEMAT.
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Check whether viewers can follow through
Ask a diverse group of patients to review the material. Check whether they understand its purpose, can identify the next step, and know how to carry it out. AHRQ’s PEMAT provides separate assessment tools for print and audiovisual materials, allowing teams to evaluate understandability and actionability in either format rather than assuming a video succeeds because it looks polished. AHRQ PEMAT.
Make video accessible without removing print
Digital access and accessibility affect whether a patient can use a video at all. AHRQ recommends considering language, patient feedback, captions or sign language where appropriate, equipment and bandwidth, and the patient’s know-how in accessing digital content. Provide versions in languages patients understand, and consider closed captions or sign language for viewers who are deaf or hard of hearing.
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Keep paper-based information available for patients who prefer it or cannot conveniently use a digital resource. AHRQ’s guidance is direct: “Do not eliminate paper-based materials. Print and send information by regular mail if patients prefer it.” AHRQ, Tool 11.
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A general educational video is not the same as a patient decision aid. When someone is choosing a treatment or screening option, a decision aid should explain the available options and their benefits and harms, and help the person clarify which outcomes matter to them. Cochrane describes decision aids as a supplement to clinician consultation: “Decision aids are designed to enhance and supplement consultation with the clinician, not replace it.” Its review included 209 studies involving 107,698 adults, with evidence current to March 2022 and a summary published in 2024. Cochrane, patient decision aids.
How to evaluate whether the format is working
Evaluate the material against its actual purpose, rather than judging success by views, completion, or production quality alone. Useful checks include whether patients understand and remember the key message, can identify and perform the intended action, can access the material in their language and with their hearing, vision, literacy, device, and bandwidth needs, and can revisit it in a format they prefer. Also consider whether the task involves a demonstration and whether the material supports rather than displaces clinician discussion. The available evidence supports evaluating these dimensions; it does not establish that video wins on every one.
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