Short Films Provide Medical Education

When a healthcare provider wants information about a new disease or medical topic, a short film can provide information as well as entertainment. Many pharmaceutical firms produce short films that increase brand awareness and educate the healthcare provider abour specific products.

As men age, they develop slowing down of many functions. Some take antihypertensives and cholesterol lowering medications. A combination of disease, injury, and side effects of medication causes Erectile Dysfunctions. The pharmaceutical company Pfizer produced a short film on Erectile Dysfunction narrated by the author of The Hardness Factor, Dr. Steven Lamm at www.theharnessfactor.com/program. It gives men information about sexual health and the use of medication such as Viagra to reduce the ravages of ED. The short film educates yet increases brand awareness of Viagra, www.viagra.com.

The Center for Disease Control, CDC, announced that 25% of youths are overweight, according to www.dcd.org. Public Health Departments, schools, and pharmaceutical companies have joined efforts to reduce obesity. In a grant form the pharmaceutical company, Abbott Laboratories, Optima Educational Solutions produced short films and programs to educated healthcare providers about Managing the Treatment of Obesity at www.optimaed.com. Ken Fugioka reports on the benefits of pharmacotherapy in addition to diet and exercise.

In order for most physicians to maintain a medical license, they must receive training in End of Life Care and the Management of Pain, according to the West Virginia Board of Medicine at www.wvdhhr.org/wvbom. Primeda Healthcare markets education through programs and short films. Patients embrace the idea of dying well, without pain or discomfort. The short film, End of Life Care, discusses products to make patients comfortable. Doctors interview patients who explain their prespective on pain and end of life issues. Death is not a four letter word, according to program 444-0014 at www.primedahealthcare.org.

During the Golden Age of Medicine, physicians practiced medicine and patients believed what they said, according to www.ama.org.  Once lawyers realized they could get very rich off suing doctors, physicians had to purchase malpractice insurance. There is no longer a Golden Age of Medicine. At the local hospital there were hardly any surgeons. The local attorneys sued most of the local surgeons and they left. Nurse practitioners replaced physicians, however, patients still need surgeons to set fractures, remove appendix, and insert pacemakers. Many patients must fly or be transported to large medical centers for life saving procedures since few surgeons practice at the local hospital. Malpractice insurance is very high. The AMA, American Medical Association warned doctors not to practive in West Virginia because of the litigenous climate.

The West Virginia State Medical Association, WSMA, produced a short film, Putting Medical Malpractice into Perspective, in which Michael Markaretz MD discusses the current issues in medical malpractice with Evan Jenkins, Executive Director of WVSMA. Jane Cline, Insurance Commissioner explains the inpact of recent tort reform, www.wvsma.org.

Short films educate physicians on a variety of topics and increase brand awareness of medical products.