Investigating narrative styles in animated patient stories to increase public awareness and genetic literacy in a multiethnic Asian population

IF 3.1 2区医学 Q2 PUBLIC, ENVIRONMENTAL & OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH

Patient Education and Counseling Pub Date : 2026-04-01 Epub Date: 2026-01-12 DOI:10.1016/j.pec.2026.109480

Nur Hikmah Fitriyah , Jeanette Yuen , Zi Yang Chua , Joanne Ngeow , Davide Benvenuti

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

Objective

Animation is a tool used in medical and patient education, but little is known on the use of animated storytelling for patient education, particularly in the Asian context. This study assesses the acceptability of animated patient stories to garner interest and raise genetic literacy in a culturally diverse population like Singapore. Additionally, the study investigates key design considerations for producing informative and engaging animations for patient education.

Methods

Two animations featuring cancer predisposition syndromes with different narrative styles were produced: Animation A uses a straightforward structure, while Animation B adopts a dramatized, non-linear approach. A within-subject pre-post-test survey was administered to 260 participants, consisting of patients and the general public. The survey assessed the participants’ acceptability of animation, as well as knowledge and interest in genetics before and after watching both animated patient stories using a five-point Likert scale. Additionally, the animations were compared in terms of how informative, simple, engaging, appealing and well-paced using a seven-point Likert scale. Qualitative data was also collected and analysed inductively to understand participant’s preferred animation.

Results

2-tailed Wilcoxon signed-rank test showed that participants’ understanding and interest in genetics significantly increased after watching the animation (V=545, p < .001; V=2125, p < .001 respectively). 61.15 % of participants preferred the dramatised animation, and it was rated significantly more informative and engaging than the straightforward animation (V=1095.5, p = .001; V=2103, p = .025 respectively). Qualitative analysis revealed that visual storytelling elements supported emotional resonance and comprehension of genetics.

Conclusion

Animated patient stories, with a dramatised narrative style, is an acceptable tool in enhancing genetic literacy in a multiethnic Asian context.

Practice Implications

Story-driven animated patient education, co-designed by clinicians and artists, can bridge literacy gaps and increase emotional resonance to enhance information retention and engagement.

查看原文本刊更多论文

调查动画病人故事的叙事风格，以提高多种族亚洲人口的公众意识和基因素养。

目的：动画是一种用于医疗和患者教育的工具，但对使用动画讲故事进行患者教育知之甚少，特别是在亚洲背景下。这项研究评估了动画病人故事的可接受性，以吸引人们的兴趣，提高像新加坡这样文化多样化的人口的基因素养。此外，该研究还调查了为患者教育制作信息丰富和引人入胜的动画的关键设计考虑因素。方法：制作两部不同叙事风格的癌症易感综合征动画：动画A采用直白的结构，动画B采用戏剧化、非线性的方式。研究人员对260名参与者进行了测试前和测试后的调查，其中包括患者和公众。这项调查用李克特五分制评估了参与者在观看这两个病人的动画故事前后对动画的接受程度，以及对遗传学的知识和兴趣。此外，使用7分李克特量表比较了动画的信息量，简单性，吸引力，吸引力和节奏。定性数据的收集和归纳分析，以了解参与者的偏好动画。结果：双尾Wilcoxon sign -rank检验显示，在观看动画后，参与者对遗传学的理解和兴趣显著增加（V=545, p ）。结论：具有戏剧化叙事风格的患者动画故事是提高亚洲多种族背景下遗传素养的一种可接受的工具。实践启示：由临床医生和艺术家共同设计的故事驱动的动画患者教育，可以弥合知识差距，增加情感共鸣，提高信息保留和参与。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

Patient Education and Counseling 医学-公共卫生、环境卫生与职业卫生

CiteScore

5.60

自引率

11.40%

发文量

384

审稿时长

46 days

期刊介绍： Patient Education and Counseling is an interdisciplinary, international journal for patient education and health promotion researchers, managers and clinicians. The journal seeks to explore and elucidate the educational, counseling and communication models in health care. Its aim is to provide a forum for fundamental as well as applied research, and to promote the study of organizational issues involved with the delivery of patient education, counseling, health promotion services and training models in improving communication between providers and patients.