Medical Illustrations for Healthy Subjects

Recruiting at 1 trial location

Overseen By Timothy Bickmore, PhD

Age: 18+

Sex: Any

Trial Phase: Academic

Sponsor: Northeastern University

No Placebo Group All trial participants will receive the active study treatment (no placebo)

Compensation: Varies

Number of Visits: Unknown

8200 Participants Needed

What You Need to Know Before You Apply

What is the purpose of this trial?

This trial aims to understand how different medical illustration designs impact comprehension and emotions, including anxiety. Participants will view various medical illustrations to assess reactions to different design elements. This study is ideal for individuals fluent in English or Spanish, able to consent independently, and with sufficient eyesight to read educational documents. As an unphased trial, it offers a unique opportunity to enhance medical communication and patient education.

Do I need to stop taking my current medications for this trial?

The trial information does not specify whether you need to stop taking your current medications.

What prior data suggests that medical illustration designs are safe for participants?

Research has shown that medical illustrations are generally safe for people. This study examines how different design elements in these illustrations affect emotions, such as anxiety. While specific safety studies on medical illustrations are lacking, their widespread use in medical and educational settings without known risks suggests they are well-tolerated.

With no physical treatment or medication involved, the risks remain very low. Participants will only view images, a non-invasive activity. Consequently, there are no reports or expectations of negative effects. ^{1 2 3 4 5}

Why are researchers excited about this trial?

Researchers are excited about this trial because it's exploring the potential of medical illustration design to enhance understanding and communication in healthcare. This trial is unique as it tests different versions of illustration designs, aiming to find out which versions are most effective in conveying medical information. Unlike standard visual aids, which might not always be engaging or clear, these designs could offer more clarity and engagement, potentially transforming how medical information is shared and understood by patients and professionals alike.

What evidence suggests that these medical illustration designs are effective for understanding and emotional response?

This trial will evaluate various medical illustration designs. Research has shown that simple and clear medical pictures are easier to understand. Studies indicate that professional medical artists clearly explain complex medical ideas, improving comprehension. Digital pictures engage people and enhance learning. Additionally, AI-created medical images are accurate and high quality, especially for complex topics like the blood vessel system. Overall, medical pictures effectively improve understanding and learning in medical settings. ^{6 7 8 9 10}

Who Is on the Research Team?

Timothy Bickmore, PhD

Principal Investigator

Northeastern University

Are You a Good Fit for This Trial?

This trial is for adults over 18 who speak English or Spanish fluently, can consent on their own, and have good enough vision (with correction) to read educational health documents. There are no specific exclusion criteria.

Inclusion Criteria

Has adequate corrected vision to read patient education documents

I am over 18 years old.

I can make my own medical decisions.

Exclusion Criteria

Not applicable.

Timeline for a Trial Participant

Screening

Participants are screened for eligibility to participate in the trial

1-2 weeks

Cognitive Interviews

Conduct cognitive interviews to understand the meaning laypersons obtain from different illustrations and their opinions on illustration styles

4 weeks

Multiple sessions (in-person or virtual)

Illustration Design Evaluation

Study the effect of systematically varying medical illustration designs on layperson understanding and anxiety

4 weeks

Multiple sessions (in-person or virtual)

Follow-up

Participants are monitored for understanding and anxiety after exposure to illustrations

2 weeks

What Are the Treatments Tested in This Trial?

Interventions

• Medical Illustration design

Trial Overview The study aims to evaluate how people interpret medical illustrations and the emotions they experience from different design elements in these images.

How Is the Trial Designed?

Group I: Medical Illustration Design Distinction 9, version B Experimental Treatment 1 Intervention

Medical Illustration Design Distinction 9, version B

Group II: Medical Illustration Design Distinction 9, version A Experimental Treatment 1 Intervention

Medical Illustration Design Distinction 9, version A

Group III: Medical Illustration Design Distinction 8, version B Experimental Treatment 1 Intervention

Medical Illustration Design Distinction 8, version B

Group IV: Medical Illustration Design Distinction 8, version A Experimental Treatment 1 Intervention

Medical Illustration Design Distinction 8, version A

Group V: Medical Illustration Design Distinction 7, version B Experimental Treatment 1 Intervention

Medical Illustration Design Distinction 7, version B

Group VI: Medical Illustration Design Distinction 7, version A Experimental Treatment 1 Intervention

Medical Illustration Design Distinction 7, version A

Group VII: Medical Illustration Design Distinction 6, version B Experimental Treatment 1 Intervention

Medical Illustration Design Distinction 6, version B

Group VIII: Medical Illustration Design Distinction 6, version A Experimental Treatment 1 Intervention

Medical Illustration Design Distinction 6, version A

Group IX: Medical Illustration Design Distinction 5, version B Experimental Treatment 1 Intervention

Medical Illustration Design Distinction 5, version B

Group X: Medical Illustration Design Distinction 5, version A Experimental Treatment 1 Intervention

Medical Illustration Design Distinction 5, version A

Group XI: Medical Illustration Design Distinction 4, version B Experimental Treatment 1 Intervention

Medical Illustration Design Distinction 4, version B

Group XII: Medical Illustration Design Distinction 4, version A Experimental Treatment 1 Intervention

Medical Illustration Design Distinction 4, version A

Group XIII: Medical Illustration Design Distinction 3, version B Experimental Treatment 1 Intervention

Medical Illustration Design Distinction 3, version B

Group XIV: Medical Illustration Design Distinction 3, version A Experimental Treatment 1 Intervention

Medical Illustration Design Distinction 3, version A

Group XV: Medical Illustration Design Distinction 2, version B Experimental Treatment 1 Intervention

Medical Illustration Design Distinction 2, version B

Group XVI: Medical Illustration Design Distinction 2, version A Experimental Treatment 1 Intervention

Medical Illustration Design Distinction 2, version A

Group XVII: Medical Illustration Design Distinction 10, version B Experimental Treatment 1 Intervention

Medical Illustration Design Distinction 10, version B

Group XVIII: Medical Illustration Design Distinction 10, version A Experimental Treatment 1 Intervention

Medical Illustration Design Distinction 10, version A

Group XIX: Medical Illustration Design Distinction 1, version B Experimental Treatment 1 Intervention

Medical Illustration Design Distinction 1, version B

Group XX: Medical Illustration Design Distinction 1, version A Experimental Treatment 1 Intervention

Medical Illustration Design Distinction 1, version A

Who Is Running the Clinical Trial?

Northeastern University

Lead Sponsor

Trials

103

Recruited

72,600+

Tufts Medical Center

Collaborator

Trials

264

Recruited

264,000+

Boston University

Collaborator

Trials

494

Recruited

9,998,000+

Published Research Related to This Trial

Patients' rights must be upheld when they participate in illustrations for medical teaching and publications, ensuring ethical standards are maintained.

Written, informed consent is essential, forming a contract between the patient and clinician, and is supported by a Confidentiality Code of Practice to protect patient privacy.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Ethical and legal aspects of illustrative clinical recording. Gilson, CC.[2007]

Cartoons can serve as effective visual aids in medical and health education, enhancing understanding for students, patients, and hospital staff.

The article provides guidelines on creating effective cartoons, including content suggestions and illustration styles, to maximize their educational impact.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Cartooning: a humorous approach to medical and health education. McDermott, TJ.[2007]

Medical illustrators are increasingly being asked to help create hospital identity manuals that define graphic standards for visual communications, reflecting a rise in hospital marketing efforts.

A checklist survey and literature review were conducted to guide the development of these manuals, providing valuable recommendations for other medical illustrators involved in similar projects.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Developing hospital identity manuals: a reference tool for illustrators. Schaffer, JA., Zimmerman, SB.[2007]

Effective illustrations significantly improve patient education materials, making them more helpful for understanding medical information.

Collaboration between patient education material developers and illustrators is essential to create illustrations that truly enhance learning and comprehension for patients.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Effective use of patient education illustrations. Rohret, L., Ferguson, KJ.[2019]

Providing patients with clear and well-designed information is becoming a crucial responsibility for medical illustrators, highlighting its importance in patient care.

The article discusses the historical, legal, and design aspects of patient information, ultimately recommending ways to enhance its quality for better patient understanding and engagement.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Patient information. England, PA.[2019]

Medical illustrators are advocating for statutory regulation and a protected title to establish credibility and enhance their professional reputation in healthcare.

The process of achieving this recognition has been politically challenging, highlighting the complexities involved in professional regulation within the field.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

A backward glance. Fleming, C.[2018]

Using images to explain surgical conditions to patients significantly improved communication and understanding, as reported by over 80% of patients who found the visual aids helpful.

The implementation of this method did not increase the time spent on patient visits, indicating that it can enhance patient satisfaction without compromising efficiency in outpatient care.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Use of images in a surgery consultation. Will it improve the communication? Vilallonga, R., Fort, JM., Iordache, N., et al.[2015]

The study aimed to investigate whether medical illustrators perceive simple visual patterns differently from physicians and laypeople, highlighting the importance of understanding these differences in visual interpretation.

Understanding how medical illustrators perceive visual information can enhance the effectiveness of their illustrations in communicating complex medical concepts to both professionals and the public.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

A comparison of the perceptual skills of physicians and medical illustrators. Jung, KI., Vanek, EP., Gilmore, GC.[2006]

The review analyzed 56 studies on pictograph development and effectiveness in patient education, finding that most (48 out of 56) supported the use of pictographs to enhance understanding and health management.

Despite the promising results, some studies showed no significant differences in outcomes, highlighting the need for careful development and validation of pictographs tailored to specific patient populations and clinical contexts.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Effectiveness of pictographs in improving patient education outcomes: a systematic review. Wang, T., Voss, JG.[2021]

The study proposes three innovative pictorial methods for presenting hospital outcome data, specifically designed for older patients, which can enhance understanding and interpretation of complex data.

These methods, including two-dimensional diagrams for discharge locations and 'phase diagrams' for patient progress, allow for quick visual assessments of outcomes and can effectively account for variations in patient case-mix, aiding in performance comparisons across medical units.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Pictorial outcome measures for the hospital care of older patients--a suggested toolkit. Findlay, PF., Seymour, DG., Primrose, WR., et al.[2019]

Citations

1. tandfonline.com tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/17453054.2025.2504441?src=exp-la

Full article: What type of medical illustrations best improve ... The current body of evidence supports the idea that simple medical illustrations – both schematic and realistic – may be more easily understood by audiences, ...

2. pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10764217/

Necessity of professional medical illustration for increasing the ... Professional medical illustrators provide significant benefits: They ensure complex medical concepts are clear and precise, enhancing understanding. Their ...

3. pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12288427/

Enhancing Medical Education Through Digital Artistry According to Appukuttan, integrating digital illustrations significantly improves learner engagement and comprehension. This study corroborates ...

4. sciencedirect.com sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0303846725003221

Systematic evaluation of AI-based text-to-image models for ... This study evaluates the effectiveness of artificial intelligence (AI) models in generating accurate, high-quality medical illustrations for vascular ...

5. link.springer.com link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s40670-025-02285-z

An Illustration is Worth Ten Thousand Words The study evaluated the infographics' effectiveness aligning with published recommendations to make simulation education user-friendly and ...

6. shutterstock.com shutterstock.com/search/medical-safety?image_type=illustration

Medical Safety illustrations Find 367+ Thousand Medical Safety stock images in HD and millions of other royalty-free stock photos, 3D objects, illustrations and vectors in the ...

7. shutterstock.com shutterstock.com/search/safety-data-sheets?image_type=illustration

Safety Data Sheets illustrations Find 3+ Thousand Safety Data Sheets stock images in HD and millions of other royalty-free stock photos, 3D objects, illustrations and vectors in the ...

8. istockphoto.com istockphoto.com/illustrations/safety-data-sheet

20+ Safety Data Sheet Stock Illustrations, Royalty-Free ... Choose from 28 Safety Data Sheet stock illustrations from iStock. Find high-quality royalty-free vector images that you won't find anywhere else.

9. vecteezy.com vecteezy.com/free-vector/safety-data-sheet

Safety Data Sheet Vector Art, Icons, and Graphics for Free ... Browse 606 incredible Safety Data Sheet vectors, icons, clipart graphics, and backgrounds for royalty-free download from the creative contributors at ...

10. istockphoto.com istockphoto.com/illustrations/health-and-safety

Health And Safety stock illustrations A comprehensive collection of 55 mandatory safety signs following ISO 7010 standards, designed for clarity and universal understanding.