At the heart of every clinical trial are the people who choose to participate. They need reassurance, confidence, and trust in the process and in the research staff guiding them. Using video in clinical trials has the unique ability to meet those needs while also helping sponsors and CROs achieve operational success.
By bridging the gap between complex science and human understanding, video has become one of the most powerful tools for communication and education in clinical research. From faster enrollment to improved compliance, video is proving itself as a strategic investment in clinical trial efficiency and data quality support. If data is king in clinical research, then video is the crown prince. Videos help ensure participants understand, sites comply, and the data driving the study is strong.
Why Video Matters
Patient education materials play a crucial role in forming the foundation of trust between participants and researchers. Traditional printed materials remain invaluable, especially for older adults who prefer something tangible, but even the best-crafted written document can be overwhelming. Video enhances communication by:
- Breaking down complex information: Turning difficult concepts into clear, relatable, and memorable explanations. Instead of wading through technical jargon, for example, participants can see what a procedure or study requirement means in practice.
- Providing consistency: Every participant receives the same explanation, reducing site-to-site variation and ensuring accuracy across locations.
- Humanizing the process: Showing real people, familiar environments, or relatable animated videos makes the trial experience feel personal.
When patients understand the trial journey, they are more confident, more engaged, and more likely to complete the study for sponsors, which translates into reduced attrition and more reliable data.
What the Research Shows
The evidence demonstrates the significant impact of video in clinical research:
- In a randomized controlled trial of kidney biopsy patients, those who watched video-assisted e-consent answered an average of three more comprehension questions correctly than those who received paper-only consent, while maintaining comfort levels. ¹
- A randomized experiment involving adolescents and young adults found that a 90-second video consent was as effective as written consent, and in some areas, it improved comprehension and recall. ²
- A systematic review of video animations in health education concluded that they improve knowledge and lower anxiety compared to text alone. ³
- In dermatology clinical practice, educational videos for skin biopsy consent have been shown to improve comprehension and reduce patient anxiety. ⁴
- In a patient study using animated video interventions, participants reported reduced uncertainty, less anxiety, and improved sleep quality compared with controls. ⁵
- A meta-analysis of video-based health education confirmed consistent improvements in knowledge acquisition across diverse populations. ⁶
These findings confirm what many sponsors already recognize: videos support understanding, reduce anxiety, and strengthen engagement.
Patient-Facing Video: Building Trust and Reducing Drop-Off
For participants, video is a tool of reassurance and empowerment. It enhances the human side of the clinical trial experience by making complex information accessible and helping patients feel cared for. Examples include:
- Recruitment: Patient and investigator videos build trust, while short, animated explainers simplify eligibility and procedures. Studies show that participants’ expressed willingness to enroll can increase by 18% when video is used effectively.
- Retention: Personalized thank-you clips, culturally relevant messages, and native-language options strengthen emotional connection and reduce costly dropout rates.
- At-Home Training: Demonstration videos for tasks such as taking a medication or collecting samples empower participants to succeed independently and confidently.
By focusing on trust, empathy, and clarity, using patient-facing video in clinical research keeps participants engaged and motivated throughout their research journey.
Site and Staff Video: Driving Consistency and Efficiency
Site-facing videos help deliver operational excellence. They ensure that trial procedures are carried out uniformly and efficiently across locations, protecting data integrity and reducing costs. Key uses include:
- Standardized Training: Every staff member receives the same instruction, reducing inconsistencies in how protocols are followed.
- Onboarding and Refreshers: On-demand video modules accelerate the training of new coordinators and provide quick refreshers when staff turnover or time gaps occur.
- Protocol Walkthroughs: Step-by-step visual guides for critical processes, such as specimen handling or device calibration, reduce misinterpretation and errors.
- Operational Efficiency: Videos reduce travel and repetitive training costs, freeing resources for higher-value activities.
Site-facing video delivers consistency, scalability, and efficiency, ensuring that trials run smoothly while freeing resources for other priorities.
Overcoming Barriers to Using Video in Clinical Trials
Despite its advantages, implementing video at scale comes with challenges. Some participants may lack reliable internet access, digital fluency, or comfort with online tools. Regulators also expect patient-facing content to be clear, accurate, and culturally sensitive. Without careful design, videos could confuse rather than clarify.
Sponsors can address these challenges by:
- Keeping videos short (2-3 minutes per concept).
- Separating each concept into short chapters helps make complex ideas and procedures more understandable and easier to remember.
- Using plain language and avoiding jargon or acronyms.
- Providing subtitles and translations.
- Pairing videos with print handouts for reinforcement.
- Offering multiple access points, from portals to QR codes to site-provided tablets.
By planning for accessibility and inclusion upfront, sponsors ensure video helps reduce disparities in understanding rather than creating new ones.
Video and Print: The Dynamic Duo
Using video in clinical studies is not a replacement for print; instead, they complement it. Print materials provide permanence and reference value, while video offers clarity, emotion, and engagement. Together, they create a versatile toolkit that caters to different learning preferences and ensures participants fully understand their roles.
Print is valued by industries such as healthcare for delivering credible, permanent documents. Patients and caregivers also continue to engage with print as a trusted, high-quality source; printed materials provide accessibility options such as large print, braille, or high-contrast designs. In clinical trials, patient-facing materials include informed consent forms, patient diaries, visit reminders, and instruction sheets. Site-facing materials include quick reference guides, dosing cards, site manuals, protocol reference tools, and training binders.
Print offers longevity and permanence, creating a physical presence that does not require power or an internet connection. It also makes a tangible, sensory connection that fosters engagement and is widely perceived as credible in an era of digital misinformation. When combined with the immediacy and clarity of video, print materials ensure information is both engaging and enduring.
This dual-format approach ensures continuity by having the print piece reinforce the concepts taught in the video, while the video brings these ideas to life through demonstrations and storytelling. By delivering information in multiple ways, sponsors and CROs can maximize accessibility, engagement, and retention.
The Strategic Opportunity for Sponsors and CROs
When participants clearly understand clinical trial requirements and expectations, they remain engaged and compliant with study procedures. Consistent training for sites leads to fewer deviations. When both aspects align, clinical trials progress more quickly and yield higher-quality data. Video is no longer a “nice-to-have,” it is a proven tool that strengthens trust, reduces risk, and accelerates study success.
For sponsors and CROs, investing in video means:
- Faster recruitment and higher enrollment confidence
- Stronger participant engagement and retention
- Better protocol adherence and reduced site errors
- Improved consistency across global sites
- Shorter timelines and lower overall costs
Whether your study is traditional, hybrid, or decentralized, video creates consistency, clarity, and connection across the board. Those who adopt it now will lead the industry tomorrow by combining operational excellence with participant-centered care.
How Imperial Can Help
Implementing videos in clinical trials successfully requires more than just production; it also requires regulatory awareness, storytelling skills, and alignment with trial operations. That’s where Imperial comes in.
Imperial’s teams bring together diverse areas of expertise, clinical, creative, technical, regulatory, and translation, to form one integrated partner for sponsors and CROs. This shared approach allows us to deliver regulatory-ready videos that support every stage of the trial, from recruitment and informed consent to site training modules. We design every piece with clarity, compliance, and cultural sensitivity in mind.
With our translation services, we also adapt videos for use in global studies, ensuring your content resonates across languages, regions, and cultures. And because Imperial also offers print capabilities, sponsors gain the benefit of video and print working together, video to engage and clarify, print to reinforce and endure.
Whether you need a library of reusable training modules, a patient-facing explainer series, or a multi-format campaign tailored for diverse clinical trial populations, Imperial’s teams work as one to deliver communications that are consistent, compliant, and engaging from first impression through final visit.
References
- Gois PH, et al. Video-Assisted Electronic Consent Improves Comprehension in Kidney Biopsy Patients. Clinical Journal of the American Society of Nephrology, 2025. Available at: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40202809/
- Afolabi A, Cheung E, Lyu JC, Ling PM. Short-Form Video Informed Consent Compared With Written Consent for Adolescents and Young Adults: Randomized Experiment. JMIR Formative Research, 2024. Available at: https://formative.jmir.org/2024/1/e57747
- Moe-Byrne T, et al. The effectiveness of video animations as information tools: a systematic review. Frontiers in Digital Health, 2022. Available at: https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fdgth.2022.1010779/full
- Mettarikanon D, et al. Educational Videos for Skin Biopsy Consent. Contemporary Educational Technology, 2023. Available at: https://www.cedtech.net/article/efficacy-of-informed-consent-process-using-educational-videos-for-skin-biopsy-procedures-13755
- Qian X, et al. Animated Video Education Reduces Uncertainty and Anxiety in Patients. PMC, 2025. Available at: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11871668/
- Morgado M, et al. Video-based approaches in health education: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Scientific Reports, 2024. Available at: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-024-73671-7