Clinical video is a great way to showcase your device, but recording a procedure is not as simple as it seems. Before charging ahead into the operating room or lab, there are a lot of considerations to ensure the best possible outcome.
Considerations: Understanding how the video will be used and to whom it will be shown, affect how to approach filming the case. Here are some basic questions that will help in deciding how to design the final program.
Who is the target audience, and how will the video be used? For example; will sales reps share it with surgeons on a mobile device, or will it be shown to patients through a website?
What is the purpose of the video… training, sales, marketing, or maybe it will be used with the FDA or investors?
Does it make sense to interview the physician or clinical staff before and/or after the case? If so, who will develop the questions to elicit the desired responses? Do you also want to capture patient or caregiver testimonials?
You also must consider the complexity of the procedure and determine the critical steps to be captured by the camera crew.
Working with the Physician: You’ll need to determine who you want to record performing the procedure. Chances are they will be a key-opinion-leader (KOL), product champion, or someone providing an innovative approach to the procedure. Once you’ve narrowed the choices, contact the physician to see if they will agree to participate. They will need to find a patient suitable for the procedure and identify some potential dates for the case.
Preparing for the shoot: Before the case we usually have a call with those involved; it could be the physician, hospital staff, marketing and sales staff and others to ensure we’re all informed about the purpose, goals and logistics. Prior to the shoot, we typically schedule a walk-through with the hospital staff. During this meeting we will be able to see the room where the case will take place, understand where the patient will be positioned, look at camera positions and test any imaging equipment feeds which will need to be captured during the case.
Information for the video production team: The questions below will provide information that will be useful for the video crew in planning for the recording.
What does the product look like and what supporting instrumentation will need to be shown and used in the case?
Will there be fluoroscopy or other digital imaging used that will need to be captured, such as a heart mapping system, IVUS, OCT or ultrasound?
How will the patient be positioned?
How many anatomical sites need to be recorded?
Will the back table, where the medical instrumentation and product are prepared, need to be recorded?
How long is a typical case?
Qualifying your video vendor: With so much to consider in a procedural shoot, it’s important to find a video production company with clinical and operating room experience. Remember, the company you hire needs to know exactly what they are doing once they enter the cath lab, EP lab or operating room, because a lot is at stake. When vetting your potential video vendors here are some important questions to ask:
- Have you recorded in a cath lab, EP lab or operating room before?
- Do you understand sterile technique?
- Have you worked wearing “lead” protection before?
- Are you able to provide multiple cameras?
- Do you have high definition cameras and recorders to capture any digital outputs such as flouro, echo, OCT, IVUS or ultrasound images?
- Does your company have full time employees that will handle the filming or do you sub-contract those services? Are the crew’s immunizations up to date?
- Can you provide references from previous jobs?
- Does your company have liability insurance? At what limits?
At Meditech we’re asked these questions all the time and understand the importance of ensuring success in a clinical recording.
Now that you understand all the aspects of the case and have found a qualified video crew you are ready to roll!!
Meditech Communications is a media production studio specializing in surgical technique video production and method-of-action 3D animation for the medical device world.