Dr. Mukesh Bhargava has developed a “show and tell” system that helps patients learn how to examine themselves for skin, breast, and testicular cancers—and he used nothing more elaborate than commonly available software and a $20 microphone.
“We've created a short multimedia presentation that patients can view in the privacy of one of our three examination rooms,” said Dr. Bhargava, an internist in Sanford.
After each exam, Dr. Bhargava leaves the patient alone in the exam room to view the 2-minute presentation on a secure desktop computer. The half-dozen PowerPoint slides, which he narrates, walk the patient through the process of examining the skin for suspicious moles, or performing a breast or testicular self-exam.
Patients appreciate the presentation, Dr. Bhargava said, noting that it “reinforces the importance of proper self-care and saves me time in the process. They say this is more helpful than a handout, and they appreciate the fact that it is their own doctor doing the narration,” he said in an interview.
“All the literature says that medical advice carries more weight when it's your own doctor that's giving it,” he added.
If Dr. Bhargava is late for an appointment, his physician assistant sets the presentation up so the patient can view it while he or she is waiting.
“Many doctors feel that the presence of computer terminals in examination rooms is a distraction that interferes with doctor-patient communication,” he said. However, “by using the terminal as a learning tool, you have the technology doing some of your work for you and helping to educate your patients, who otherwise would be sitting there looking at wall posters or reading a magazine.”
There's no danger that a patient will access electronic medical records or other sensitive data, which are securely locked and password protected, Dr. Bhargava explained.
Physicians can create their own narrated PowerPoint presentations with existing Microsoft software and a small investment in a microphone. Those who do not have Microsoft Office on their systems can download Open Office, a free multiplatform office suite that will fill the bill, Dr. Bhargava said.
He also welcomes inquiries about his multimedia project. You can reach Dr. Bhargava at mbhargava@gmail.com
By Bruce K. Dixon, Chicago Bureau. Look for the next installment of this column in our Jan. 1, 2007, issue.