Students shooting videos to learn pharmacology

BACKGROUND Patient education videos are an effective medium of communication to improve patient knowledge. Developing patient-centered communication requires a reflection on the social dynamics and economic realities of patients, aspects that are essential for the professional development of students, but often not overtly present in the curriculum. We tasked medical students to develop patient education videos and were interested in their experience of the process, including how this medium facilitated reflection on health care in the country. METHODS Groups of students conceptualised and then made a 2-minute video educating patients on pharmacotherapy, aimed at the layperson. We adapted an existing tool for developing and assessing public communication material to design a marking rubric, and collected student feedback. RESULTS Students conveyed universal factual therapeutic information in a uniquely South African context, using depictions that patients could relate to, and framed the information within the social circumstances of patients. The videos addressed various therapeutic topics, including some not covered in the module, and demonstrated that students were able to apply classroom knowledge in the health care environment. Students relayed complex concepts through visually innovative and easy-to-understand ways. Students conveyed universal factual therapeutic information in a uniquely South African context DISCUSSION: Health care practitioners should be responsive to the needs of their patients, which demands a sensitivity to local imperatives, social dynamics and economic realities. Although the principles of patient-centredness are taught in the curriculum, the depth of understanding evident in the videos demonstrated emergent learning from the hidden curriculum. Students can be architects of their own learning in creative and meaningful ways.