Dr. Nie Hongfei of West China Hospital: Humor Is the Best Bridge Connecting Doctors and Patients in Medical Science Communication
At 5:30 p.m., Dr. Nie Hongfei, an attending physician in the Department of Pain Management at West China Hospital of Sichuan University, had just finished his day’s work. Today was an exception, with no surgeries scheduled for the night.
At the invitation of Boston Scientific’s Innovation Training Academy, Nie Hongfei participated in a cross-disciplinary physician exchange event, where he shared his insights and perspectives on new models of patient education in the new media era through both online and offline platforms.
For Nie Hongfei, this should have been a relatively easy day, yet he still appeared somewhat rushed. Upon entering the venue, he wasted no time with superfluous movements; instead, he promptly located the interview area, sat down, and began the interview. During the process, he forgot to put down his backpack.
We reminded him, and he replied, “I’m used to being busy.”
After putting down his schoolbag, Nie Hongfei engaged in a conversation with VCBeat Orange Fruit Bureau about video-based science popularization.
In our conversation, we learned that creating video-based science popularization content is no easy task for physicians, as it demands considerable time and effort. Physicians must first ensure the quality of their clinical work before dedicating their spare time to producing such educational videos.
Nie Hongfei told VCBeat’s Orange Bureau that he often jots down ideas during the day and records them immediately after returning home in the evening, with the entire process taking less than half an hour. It is only once every two to three weeks that he occasionally gets the opportunity to dedicate a half-day to focusing on producing video-based science popularization content.
However, for Nie Hongfei, treating diseases is about saving lives, and popularizing medical knowledge is also a way of saving lives. This matter is worth his time and energy.
“Dr. Doudou for Low Back and Leg Pain” is Nie Hongfei’s nickname in the field of medical science communication, which is why everyone affectionately calls him Dr. Doudou. His journey into collaborating with a medical video-based science communication platform began with an idea from his work.
Nie Hongfei shared with VCBeat:“When I first started making videos, I felt that since we have long been interacting with patients and providing them with medical science popularization, it would be highly valuable to record these educational materials as videos. This would allow more people to understand and even learn relevant medical common sense through video content. The network-style viral dissemination is certainly more efficient than my single-point outreach. In this way, more people will gain insights into diseases through my science popularization efforts and take timely and appropriate medical actions.”
However, the inherent seriousness, strong academic nature, and high knowledge barriers of medical content have always created a certain distance between it and the general public. To convey medical information through content, improve public health literacy, and promote doctor-patient communication, complex medical information must be deconstructed and reprocessed before dissemination.
In Nie Hongfei’s medical science popularization videos, he likens the intervertebral disc to a brown-sugar-filled flatbread (guokui), comparing lumbar disc herniation to the brown sugar filling being squeezed out. Under compression from above and below, the “brown-sugar guokui” (the lumbar spine) in the middle is pressed until it bursts open. He also compares the relationship between chickenpox and shingles to a “life-and-death romance,” using storytelling to explain relevant medical knowledge.
In Nie Hongfei’s view, communication and discussions among physicians have always been highly professional, yet patients are often not attuned to medical jargon. Therefore, it is paramount to translate specialized medical terminology into more accessible language or vivid, illustrative formats, enabling patients to immediately grasp the key messages being conveyed.
Nie Hongfei shared his content creation experience with VCBeat, stating:“This process may seem simple, but it actually requires a great deal of skill. It involves communicating with others, learning from and drawing inspiration by watching videos, as well as continuous self-practice and refinement. Most importantly, one must find a content style that suits oneself or allows for the greatest sense of ease. In reality, patients vary in their acceptance of content, and doctors serve different audiences. Rather than blindly copying others’ models simply because they appear ‘successful,’ it is essential to truly enjoy the process. Only in this way can content creators avoid feeling drained of their time and energy.”
Returning to the essence of information dissemination, only when senders and receivers share broadly similar cultural backgrounds and common interpretations of the content symbols serving as information carriers can intentional distortion and unintentional misunderstanding of the content be avoided.
As Dr. Nie Hongfei shared, the external dissemination of medical content also requires deconstructing life science knowledge into vivid, engaging, and humorous formats to simplify its complexity, thereby conveying medical information to the public in an accessible and easy-to-understand manner.
“Life is heavy, so we strive to be light. As Zhou Guoping once said, ‘In this world, if one lacks the ability to find amusement in suffering and humor in seriousness, how can one maintain the courage to live?’”Nie Hongfei stated.
Humor is Nie Hongfei’s preferred mode of expression in content dissemination.
Within his knowledge dissemination framework, he has even systematically categorized humorous expression into exaggeration, misinterpretation, puns, traps, absurdity, and self-deprecation. In addition to his innate sense of humor, he leverages this “humor” framework to produce and disseminate content.
However, Nie Hongfei does not believe that content dissemination has a high barrier to entry. On the contrary, he maintains that in the era of self-media, anyone can and should engage in content dissemination.
He shared his views with VCBeat:“For most physicians, possessing professional expertise is sufficient. However, cultivating one’s unique personal attributes and investing time and passion are even more important. In my case, this involves having a sense of humor and generating innovative ideas. I carefully craft my humor, hoping that patients will enjoy watching my science communication content. That said, everyone has their own suitable pace and style for creating videos; my approach may not work for others, nor may theirs suit me. Finding the style that best fits you and embracing it with passion is the most effective way to produce high-quality medical science communication.”
Humor is not only a highlight in medical popular science content, but also a powerful tool for breaking down the high barriers of medical information.
In this regard, Nie Hongfei stated, “Disseminating medical science popularization to the public through new media channels, thereby facilitating public understanding and acceptance, is one of the important ways to strengthen positive energy on the internet. Exploring new approaches and methodologies for communicating medical science is also a key strategy to make such knowledge more accessible and acceptable to a broader audience.”
In an era of information overload, most people lack the time and energy to seek out the specific information they truly need. Addressing patients’ questions directly through short videos represents the most efficient form of communication for both physicians and patients.
For Patients, they can receive proper guidance through popular science videos. By understanding basic disease information, fundamental pharmacological knowledge, definitions of disease severity levels, how to communicate with physicians, and physician profiles, patients can make more scientific and effective choices during the treatment process.
For physicians,, it will garner greater understanding and recognition. In future communications with patients, this approach will not only facilitate effective patient guidance but also break down communication barriers between physicians and patients, thereby fostering closer relationships and saving time and energy for patient re-education.
For hospitals, physician-led health education is also a form of hospital promotion. With the dissemination of educational videos by physicians, the overall capabilities of the hospital and the professional expertise of its doctors will gain broader understanding and recognition among the public, thereby increasing patient volume for the hospital.
“My original intention in creating videos was to address the majority of patients’ questions through this medium. While I may not be able to solve every problem single-handedly, if my videos help them gain more medical knowledge and foster deeper trust between doctors and patients, I would consider all the effort worthwhile.”At the end of the conversation, Nie Hongfei recalled the early days when he first started making videos.
Public health education is one of the duties of physicians; however, for Nie Hongfei, and indeed for the broader medical community, its significance may extend far beyond this.
Dr. Nie shared his schedule with us.
He had just completed a surgery lasting several hours yesterday, leaving him with only a sliver of personal time to produce a science popularization video.
His popular science content covers physical therapy, massage, surgery, shoulder and neck exercises, and registration guides. However, whether it involves content or surgical procedures, the patient is always at the other end of his focus.
After the conversation, Dr. Dou Dou slung his backpack over his shoulder. Next, he would head off to another “distant place.”