Technology is giving chiropractors more opportunities to educate patients about the benefits of chiropractic care. State-of-the-art software, high-tech models, videos, and animations are some of the technologies out there today.

To find out how DCs can use these technologies most effectively, Chiropractic Products spoke to three representatives in the area of chiropractic patient education. Bruce Goldsmith is president of Visual Odyssey and the inventor of the Neuropatholator Nerve chart system. Steven J. Kraus, DC, is president and CEO of Future Health Inc. Mark Sanna, DC, FICC, is CEO of Breakthrough Coaching.

What types of patient-education products can chiropractors use during the report of findings to distinguish themselves from their peers?

Goldsmith: The only way learning takes place is through the senses. The key is harnessing the largest cross-section of patients. You want it to be impactful, memorable, and action-provoking through their senses. For the last 40 years, there have been handouts, posters, electric nerve charts, and videos. They all have their place. Some of the greatest successes in delivery of message come from demonstrative, interactive experiences. While the skill of the presenter is important, the success of effectively communicating is wrapped in a blend of presentation skill and presentation tools. Today, the report of findings itself has changed. Sometimes it takes place in the adjusting room, the hallway, and even group settings.

Kraus: Using digital media is now a standard in today's technology-savvy society. Taking advantage of the combination of audio and high-definition video graphics gives the patient a multi-level sensory input. Society is also in a sound-bite format for receiving information.

Therefore, it is important that the patient-education media they view be direct and to the point along with using visual graphics. Patients need to understand the purpose of services they receive and the detriments of not receiving care. The media image needs to convey professionalism, knowledge, accuracy, and relevancy to their specific health care condition.

Sanna: CommVantage Inc produces the best report of findings software products in the chiropractic industry. They are experts at taking complex concepts and presenting them in an easy-to-understand and informative manner using technology. Their interactive 3D models are an excellent way to help even skeptical patients understand the cause of their problem and what they need to do to get well.

What are some of the latest technological advancements in patient-education products?

Goldsmith: Latest technology implies things are faster and more effective than before. Keep in mind that many decades-old tools like pamphlets, videos, and electronic nerve charts still work astoundingly well. What excites me, however, is how computers accomplish so much. Computers can replace passive posters, lecture flips, and interactive wall charts throughout the office. The real power is in systems designed to be as flexible and creative as the DC harnessing the computer power. The major advance now is how patient-education software travels throughout the office on notebook computers, laptops, networks, and the Web. With the right software, the exact message you want to deliver can be delivered everywhere: by the adjusting table, in the consult room, in the reception room, at screenings, or on their computer at home.

Kraus: Utilizing software in combination with digital media has allowed for customized patient education. Recent patent-pending technology (from Future Health) allows for media to automatically be selected through software based on a patient's diagnosis and demographic information. The media then plays in the specific room where the patient is either receiving therapy modalities or waiting for the doctor in a treatment room. The concept of time management and a captive audience applies specifically to this situation. If the patient is receiving electric muscle stimulation while lying supine on a therapy table, he or she can also be viewing a specific video on a monitor conveniently placed above the therapy bed.

Sanna: Chiropractic patient education has moved online. ChiroMatrix is not only the leader in custom chiropractic Web site design, the patient-education tools it provides through its Web sites enable chiropractors to be much more efficient, effective, and professional at educating existing patients and in generating new patients 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. The phrase "content is king" holds true for chiropractic Web sites. ChiroMatrix's iEducate feature is a great resource your patients can use to learn about frequently asked questions related to chiropractic. Much more than a static resource, chiropractic education topics are always being added and updated to the iEducate system. It includes more than 100 pages on topics ranging from exercises and posture to diet and nutrition.

With the right software, the exact message you want to deliver can be delivered everywhere: by the adjusting table, in the consult room, in the reception room, at screenings, or on the patient’s computer at home. Pictured is Visual Odyssey’s wall chart and software.

What are some new innovations in visual products to educate patients in the waiting room?

Goldsmith: There are some awesome opportunities now to bring the patient-education experience to every corner of the office. I've been creating chiropractic patient education since 1976, and I've never seen a more exciting time. The plummeting price of computers, projectors, LCDs, and large touch-screen monitors enables you to place a kiosk anywhere. If you're serious about making a difference in your patient's educational experience, how could a commitment to this type of technology not help explode your message and your practice? Imagine your patient walking up to your wall, touching it, and having it respond and answer. You don't have to wait for "tomorrow," because you can literally have it tomorrow.

Kraus: Using high-definition video increases the viewing quality, demonstrating that the doctor of chiropractic is a professional using technology in a high-quality manner. This parallels the type of image the chiropractic profession needs to elevate the image in the eyes of the public. The messages and content can also promote other services the clinic has to offer. For example, sports physicals, DOT physicals, cervical support pillows, and nutrition are just a few examples of additional services offered in many clinics and which the public is completely unaware. Using the waiting room digital media allows the public to become aware of these other services without the doctor having to sound like a street-corner salesman asking for more business.

Sanna: Our members have been very effective with incorporating the Brican Mediadoc™ patient-education system in their reception rooms as well as in other areas of the practice, such as a physiotherapy or rehab area. The flat-panel displays are a great high-tech touch and help to create the "wow" factor that is so important in capturing and holding a patient's attention. The system includes the top of the line in patient-education software with more than 11,000 slides that can be customized to fit any practice style or philosophy. You can check out the Mediadoc™ system at www.bricancorp.com.

What are the best types of handouts so patients can educate themselves at home about musculoskeletal health?

Goldsmith: Anything patients will actually do at home, that is simple to understand, and delivers the desired message, is a success. Because of a huge variety of learning styles, you have to have a large variety of tools. Attempt to categorize the patient's learning style and provide handouts that fit. Pamphlets still work great, ROF booklets, DVDs, interactive CDs, audio CDs, Web, and "holographic" business cards all help reinforce the ROF experience. These tools help your patient educate others, especially those who may influence your patient's decisions.

Kraus: Those handouts that correspond to the doctor's own internal messages that he or she communicates to patients on a frequent basis work the best. The handouts should be consistent with the services and procedures offered by the clinic. The professionalism of the handout must contain well-written material and modern-looking graphics. The handouts also need specific content that give real information rather than superficial over-views. If the patient is taking the time to obtain a handout, there had better be valuable material inside. Handouts that are personalized with the patient name and clinic name on the handout create a value-added visit. This results in a more comprehensive patient encounter, giving the patient a reason to refer others to this practice.

Sanna: I have always thought that Bill Esteb's PatientMedia produces the finest patient-education tools to motivate today's visually oriented patients. The busiest chiropractors use his chiropractic posters, brochures, videos, and report documents to be more effective when sharing chiropractic principles. PatientMedia also provides chiropractors with a free, once-a-week e-mail with an inspirational practice tip, patient communication idea, or headspace expander. Visit http://www.patientmedia.com to subscribe to this e-mail and to check out all of its latest patient-education products.

What new types of patient-education products can we expect to see in the next few years?

Goldsmith: A simple answer is more Web and larger touchscreens. Integrated systems that flow from room to room in your office will make patient education not only easier for you, but virtually seamless for the patient. The office that is focused on chiropractic patient education being utilized in every room is the office that will reach high goals.

Kraus: You will see more evolution in the use of e-mail to deliver customized patient-education material. This may include text messages to cell phones to remind patients of certain exercises and home care issues at specific times of the day to help guide the patients in their recovery and wellness lifestyle. Automatic generation of handouts, self-care material, e-mails, or other modes of transmission of information will become more commonplace. The Virtual Educator delivers automatic and customized patient education material that is diagnosis-specific.

Sanna: The future of patient education is technology driven. We'll be seeing a higher level of interactivity and personalization in the products of the future. One of the most exciting new technologies is video e-mail. Chiropractors can communicate with and educate their patients through short e-mailed video clips that they create at their own computers using a video camera. Many of the newest models of computers include a built-in camera. Patients are very impressed when they open an e-mail and can hear and see you giving them a healthy tip or reminding them of a special event that will take place in your practice.

What patient-education products would give chiropractors the most value for the money?

Goldsmith: A pamphlet or a poster in the hands of a master presenter with conviction and enthusiasm will nearly always lead to success. I guarantee, however, that a few of the new presenting tools out there would only enhance the outcome any DC is striving for, while creating new energy in the practice and deeper understanding by the patients. If you didn't feel you had a powerful message to deliver and a desire to do it, you wouldn't have read this far. The most value you'll get for your money is only realized when the chosen, congruent tool meets with action. Your action. What sits in your closet is both expensive and worthless. What gets used constantly reaps multi-fold rewards. Anything that pays you back the first few times or months you use it is a home run. If it can do that year after year then it's the bargain of the decade. Not pulling the trigger on something new and proven faster is the most expensive approach of all.

Kraus: Doctors need to have their patient education tied to their patient record documentation. The education needs to be documented in this era of best practices. Those doctors that provide home and self-care education will be seen as better doctors. If it was not documented, it did not happen. The digital systems that are deeply integrated and interface with your documentation and billing system allow for more efficiencies, better patient compliance, increased referrals, and a higher quality of care that is consistent with the chiropractic wellness model.

Sanna: One of the most effective and low-cost ways to generate new patients is to give a presentation on the value of chiropractic to the groups, organizations, businesses, and schools in your community. I have absolutely fallen in love with the Learning Curves™ curriculum for teaching elementary school children (3rd, 4th, and 5th grades) the language of chiropractic while helping them develop a value system based on the importance of spinal hygiene, body awareness, and backpack safety. Participating chiropractors, using a curriculum and tools provided by Learning Curves (www.learningcurves.us), teach students various aspects of spinal health. Modeled after the Dental Association's dental hygiene model, the tools they provide help children to become more aware of their bodies and create a value system around spinal hygiene and nervous system balance.