Video Recording of Patient-Clinician Interactions in Health Education: Scoping Review

Background: Video recordings of patient-clinician interactions (PCIs) have become an integral tool in health professions education, with authentic opportunities to enhance clinical communication and decision-making skills. Despite their educational value, ethical and logistical challenges regarding their use remain underexplored. Objective: This scoping review aims to map the use of video-recorded PCIs in health education, categorizing types and educational purposes, examining applications across disciplines, and identifying ethical and logistical issues. Methods: Comprehensive searches were conducted in MEDLINE, Embase, and ERIC (Education Resources Information Center) databases, supplemented by gray literature, with the last search performed on October 30, 2024. Two independent reviewers screened and extracted data on study design, intervention characteristics, educational objectives, and barriers to implementation. Given the scoping review nature, risk of bias assessment was not conducted. Data synthesis involved descriptive analysis and thematic categorization of findings. Results: A total of 69 studies met inclusion criteria, predominantly from medical (n=28, 41%), dental (n=15, 22%), and nursing (n=8, 12%) education. Publication frequency increased over the past decade. Studies used varied video types, including authentic consultations, simulated encounters, and procedural recordings. Main educational aims focused on clinical skills, communication, professionalism, and reflective practice. Ethical reporting was inconsistent, with variable adherence to informed consent, patient privacy, and confidentiality standards. Common logistical barriers included limitations in technical infrastructure, data management, and curriculum integration. Conclusions: Video-recorded PCIs offer valuable educational resources but face challenges in ethical standardization and logistical feasibility. Future research should prioritize the development of ethical frameworks and standardized protocols, together with the evaluation of long-term educational and psychological outcomes, to support the responsible and scalable integration of PCI recordings into health education curricula.