Filming the family: A documentary film to educate clinicians about family caregivers of patients

Abstract

The objective of this paper is to evaluate the educational value of a documentary film about family caregiving for patients with brain tumors. The method used in this study is a pre-post survey among neurosurgeons, neuro-oncologist, and other clinician viewers. Viewers evaluated the film highly and reported an intention to change their practice as a result of watching the film. Following viewing, participants felt more strongly that "all families of patients with brain cancers should meet with a social worker" (P=0.01) and that "family caregivers greatly impact the health of patients" (P=0.002), and they were less likely to believe that "supporting family caregivers is primarily someone else's job" (P=0.009). A documentary film about family caregiving is an effective educational tool to increase awareness among neurosurgery/neuro-oncology clinicians about the importance and needs of family caregivers of patients with brain tumors. © The Author(s) 2010.