The Effects of Open Captions in a Medical Drama on the Acquisition of Medical Terminology about Chronic Health Conditions Related to Physical Injury

Background: Despite previous efforts to improve health literacy through entertainment media, current practice seems to address only a few public health topics. Purpose: We examined the impact of supplementary open captions about medical terminology related to physical injuries that might lead to chronic health conditions on the acquisition and retention of relevant information presented in a medical drama. Methods: We conducted a two-group, between-subjects experiment (no open captions vs. open captions) with 150 adult participants to measure how open captions might help viewers retain medical information without disrupting their enjoyment of the storyline. Results: The open captions helped viewers retain the terms and their definitions without disrupting narrative transportation to the events in the episode. Discussion: As long as the open-captioned medical information was seamlessly woven into the storyline of the episode, it did not prevent the viewers from appreciating the dramatic content of the show. Translation to Health Education Practice: Health educators are encouraged to collaborate with media producers to implement open captions for health and medical information rather than simply monitoring the accuracy of health and medical topics featured in television shows.