Introduction
Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) is an effective treatment
for many malignant conditions, marrow failure syndromes, and immune
deficiencies in children, adolescents, and young
adults1,2. Patients undergoing HSCT are hospitalized
for extended periods (months), and recovery can be prolonged
(years)3,4. Patients report feeling underprepared for
procedures and side effects, and caregivers struggle to perform new and
complex care processes after discharge.3,4
Access to timely and relevant education during transplant can lower
anxiety and stress, improve compensating behaviors and adherence,
increase self-management, and lead to better
outcomes5. Video is an increasingly popular medium for
patient-centered educational content, and advances in technology have
significantly lowered barriers to video production6.
Educators can capture and edit high-quality audio and video using
ordinary smartphones, which are easily accessible to patients. The cost
of video delivery, once a significant expense, is now near-zero with the
rise of ad-supported streaming platforms such as
YouTube®.7,8
Positive results in controlled studies may lead centers to assume the
benefit of video-based education will translate directly into an
uncontrolled setting, where patients and families can decide, with
anonymity, how long to view each video, or even if to view it at all.
Without usage metrics, a video’s performance can be opaque to its
creator, leaving little ability to understand if the intended benefits
are delivered and, if so, delivered equitably across socioeconomic and
cultural boundaries. Our goal was to understand better our video
utilization in patients and caregivers undergoing pediatric HSCT.