Efficacy of video education for patients and caregivers.

Videotapes are valuable resources for assistance in educating patients and caregivers in today's changing health care environment. Videotapes can be effective teaching tools for patients by facilitating knowledge acquisition, reducing anxiety, improving coping skills, and enhancing self care behaviors. They incorporate visual and auditory information into a teaching modality that is often easy for individuals to understand and retain. Research on videotaped patient education will be presented with application of findings to the practice of otolaryngologic nursing.