Dr. Zhang Guoxi of Beijing People's Hospital on the Original Intent and Reflections Behind Medical Science Popularization

Andrology is a more discreet specialty than gynecology.

Due to gaps in disease awareness and personal concerns about privacy, many patients avoid seeking medical care or are unsure where to turn for help. It is precisely for this reason that Zhang Guoxi, Associate Chief Physician in the Department of Urology at Peking University People’s Hospital, embarked on his journey of medical science popularization.

“Urology is a specialty with numerous subspecialties, and each physician may have different areas of expertise. Patients often lack clarity and struggle to find the right doctor for their needs,” said Zhang Guoxi. Furthermore, treatment solutions vary depending on the severity of the condition. Some patients with mild symptoms do not actually require medical attention or visits to tertiary hospitals; however, anxiety stemming from insufficient information has led many of these patients to flock to tertiary hospitals nonetheless.

In 2019, Zhang Guoxi officially joined the ranks of physicians engaged in popularizing medical science. He aims to translate specialized medical knowledge into accessible language for patients, enabling them to gain a preliminary understanding of their conditions and diseases, and to establish sound health concepts.

On-site of the 3rd Session of “Cross-Boundary Exchange for Physicians” Hosted by Boston Scientific IAS Innovation Training Academy

As a growing number of physicians join the ranks of science communicators, patients now have a more reliable option beyond “searching Baidu when sick.” From the perspective of the care pathway, the value of medical science communication permeates every stage. Before consultation, it guides patients to seek appropriate medical care and helps them gain a preliminary understanding of their condition. During consultation, it enables patients to develop a more comprehensive understanding of their disease and surgical procedures, thereby enhancing the efficiency of diagnosis and treatment and improving patient satisfaction. After consultation, it continues to help patients better understand their condition and adhere to treatment plans, while alleviating psychological burdens such as anxiety.

A wealth of rigorous yet accessible medical science communication is guiding patients toward a correct understanding of diseases. In Zhang Guoxi’s view, the essence of physicians’ science communication lies in explaining professional knowledge to patients in plain language. Short videos, Weibo Q&A sessions, and live streams are the formats he frequently employs. Among these, short videos are currently the most common and easily disseminated medium for science communication.

As a mainstream form of new media, short videos boast a broad audience and high dissemination reach. Typically, Zhang Guoxi prefers to leverage short videos to help patients understand diseases and familiarize themselves with surgical procedures, covering aspects such as pathogenesis, impact, disease progression, treatment options, and indications for specific surgical techniques.

Zhang Guoxi began experimenting with short-form video science communication in 2019, with his most-viewed videos garnering over one million views. He also favors creating content on disease-related knowledge and diagnostic and treatment processes. He believes that sharing outpatient and surgical case studies can provide confidence and guidance to patients experiencing similar symptoms.

During this process, Zhang Guoxi even attempts to encourage patients to appear on camera and share their stories. Due to privacy concerns, most patients are hesitant about doing so. However, some patients believe that their experiences may inspire confidence in others, while also gaining a sense of personal fulfillment.

“Approximately one-third of patients are willing to share their stories on camera,” said Zhang Guoxi.

Beyond short videos, Zhang Guoxi also regularly answers patient questions and addresses their concerns through his social media accounts. He selects and filters inquiries from the comments section, using individual cases to explain to the broader patient community the causes, symptoms, and impacts of diseases, as well as whether intervention is necessary and how it should be carried out. In addition to providing written responses for this health education component, Zhang Guoxi also conducts live streams to address specific cases, thereby facilitating further interaction and communication with patients during the process.

Compared to short videos and text-only formats, illustrated science communication can explain medical knowledge from multiple perspectives, including medical principles, anatomy, symptoms, diagnosis, treatment, and other related aspects. Medical illustrated content often employs vivid images and charts to present medical knowledge, enabling readers to gain a more intuitive understanding. In this area, Zhang Guoxi tends to connect medical knowledge with everyday life, explaining common diseases, symptoms, and treatment methods to help readers better manage health conditions.

Of course, medical science popularization is not the sole responsibility of doctors.

“Doctors are actually very busy, and in many cases, they still need to rely on the support of professional teams,” said Zhang Guoxi. Among physicians engaged in science communication, collaboration with MCN (Multi-Channel Network) teams has become quite common. Zhang Guoxi believes that the involvement of MCN teams significantly enhances the efficiency and reach of doctors’ science outreach efforts. However, during this process, there must be a clear division of labor between doctors and MCN teams: MCNs excel at video production and copywriting, while doctors are responsible for ensuring the accuracy and authenticity of the content.

“Exaggeration and errors are unacceptable; operations and communication must be planned under this premise,” he continued.

The essence of medical science popularization lies in physicians conveying their professional expertise to patients. This represents another application of physicians’ professional knowledge; however, Zhang Guoxi emphasizes that physicians must maintain clear boundaries throughout this process.

First, the boundaries of professional expertise. Zhang Guoxi told VCBeat that physicians’ science popularization content should ideally be confined to their own specialty and the conditions they are equipped to treat. After patients acquire knowledge through such educational materials, they naturally develop trust in the physician and hope that the physician can address their health concerns.

In the early years, Zhang Guoxi wrote a popular science article on gallstones. A patient from Shandong Province sought him out based on that article, hoping to receive diagnosis and advice. However, as a urologist, hepatobiliary treatment was not within his area of expertise. This incident has left Zhang Guoxi with a deep sense of guilt to this day. It also made him profoundly realize that medical popularization must adhere to professional boundaries. Even in less common specialties, this principle should be strictly upheld.

“Taking it seriously will definitely help some patients,” said Zhang Guoxi.

Secondly, consistency between words and actions is essential. On one hand, there must be consistency in the content of science popularization; whether in text-and-image articles, short videos, or live streams, explanations of the same content should remain consistent and accurate. On the other hand, physicians’ personal conduct should align with their public statements. Zhang Guoxi believes that high-quality science popularization can, to some extent, drive patient traffic to physicians. Therefore, once medical science popularization yields results, physicians’ clinical practice should remain consistent with the messages conveyed in their educational efforts.

“We must never focus solely on profits,” he emphasized.

Since engaging in public health education, the most noticeable change Zhang Guoxi has observed is an increase in both patient volume and surgical cases. In the past, some patients, lacking adequate understanding of their conditions, blindly sought improvement through traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) and pharmacological treatments. After receiving accurate health information, these patients shifted from TCM clinics to urology departments. Zhang revealed that his annual surgical caseload was initially fewer than 20; however, this number has risen steadily each year since he began his public education efforts, approaching nearly 100 cases this year.

“Thoroughly conducting science popularization can also facilitate clinical research,” stated Zhang Guoxi. An increase in the number of patients also means an expansion of case samples for clinical research and accumulation of diagnostic and therapeutic experience. To a certain extent, science popularization is also contributing to the development of the department.

To further deepen the reach of science popularization, patient education will remain the core focus of Zhang Guoxi’s public outreach efforts.

“Each round of health education may target different groups.” He explained to VCBeat that after one cohort of patients has received the information, the next cohort may require new educational content. He believes this is a cyclical and repetitive process, requiring continuous dissemination of health education to reach and influence more patients.

However, he also emphasized that popular science education cannot replace clinical diagnosis. Medical popularization can only address a small fraction of issues within medical services. Due to the significant individual variability in medical practice, face-to-face consultation and analysis for each patient remain paramount. Popular science serves as a means to build trust with patients. For physicians, clinical work always takes precedence.