Brigham & Women's Hospital Prescribes Videos To Keep Patients On Track

BOSTON (CBS) - Jesse Albert of Mattapan suffers from occasional hip pain. "For me, pain is a little out of the ordinary," he says. He turned to his primary care physician at Brigham and Women's Hospital, Dr. Adam Licurse, who can now prescribe more than just medication.

Vidscrips are short one to two minute videos that answer a variety of questions about common health issues. A refresher, so to speak, on what was said in the doctor's office.

"It's hard to remember all that information," explains Dr. Licurse, "When you're making a decision about my back is hurting right now. What did he say one week ago versus one month ago? I can't find that piece of paper."

Paper that Jesse is happy to leave behind. "Rather than reading a pamphlet," says Jesse about Vidscrips, "It's from your doctor and has some medical terms that I can understand and it's like he's right there with me."

Dr. Licurse says the real value of Vidscrips is that they are recorded by your own healthcare providers. "So instead of something you can find on the Internet or YouTube, something generic, this is oh, that's my PCP talking about diabetes," he says.

Marc Cavanagh of Westport Point, MA has been managing his high blood pressure with Dr. Licurse's help. Marc says these videos will keep him on track and provide reassurance. "They reduce concerns and fear, manage the disease and make you feel like you have folks you can count on to help you out," Marc explains.

Including other patients who are recording videos describing their healthcare experiences, like a colonoscopy, for example.

Dr. Licurse says he's hoping that patients will have a better experience in their care. "And have the information to help them manage their problems and at the end of the day, have a higher quality of care," says Dr. Licurse.

Marc agrees. "I think what they're doing here with the program is really on par with the best that is out there as far as helping the patient," he says.

Brigham and Women's Hospital began prescribing Vidscrips to patients back in June and is one of the only hospitals in the area doing so. The videos are free of charge to patients and can be viewed on a variety of devices through the internet.