Don’t look now, but outdated copies of Sports Illustrated, Cooking Light and other magazines are disappearing from many retina practice waiting rooms. “Good Morning America” is also being canceled from flat-screen TVs mounted to the corner walls of many practices.

Taking their place: Racks filled with glossy pamphlets and slick videos on common retinal conditions and the options available to treat them.

As demands grow to see more patients without a corresponding increase in time, many specialists are leveraging the waiting room as a “classroom” where patients can learn about conditions and treatment options while they wait to be seen.

“As our practice becomes busier, everyone is seeing more patients. Subsequently, there’s less time to spend with each patient,” says Hyung Cho, a retina specialist with Georgia Retina, which comprises nine offices in the Atlanta area. “Learning to become more efficient with our time has been the most significant challenge.”

“More than ever, an increasing number of patients are being seen in clinic without an increase in available time,” agreed Arunan Sivalingam, MD, director at Philadelphia-based Wills Eye Retina Service-Mid Atlantic Retina.

“It’s important for patients to understand the severity of their disease and the treatment approach,” says Dr. Sivalingam, adding that waiting room pamphlets and brochures can lead to “more informed patients, who are ready to process and ask questions, and this makes patients an integral part in their disease monitoring, treatment and recovery.”

“An educated patient is a happy patient,” agrees Dr. Cho, whose practice also continuously loops educational videos that address retinal anatomy, intravitreal injections and other common topics in all its waiting rooms.

“The videos improve our ability to communicate with patients. They’re great visual aids that delineate the complex anatomy and procedures we attempt to explain to our patients,” he added, citing a 1998 study, published in the Journal of Medical Education, which found that using video followed by brief individual counseling actually saved physicians’ time without sacrificing knowledge compared with prolonged individual counseling alone.

Georgia Retina and Mid Atlantic Retina also make their educational materials available to patients on their respective websites. “We’ve found that it’s important to provide educational materials online for patients to read prior to and after their visit,” Dr. Sivalingam says. “We also provide wireless access [in our waiting rooms], so patients can use their smartphones or tablets to browse through this information.”

“We’ve found that patients who are educated about their disease and have a basic understanding are much more compliant with treatment and follow-up,” says Dr. Sivalingam. He says patients often fail to keep appointments because they think their vision has improved or stabilized. Dr. Cho adds that “too busy with work/life” and “being too ill” are among the common reasons patients cite for noncompliance and failing to keep appointments.

Both physicians stressed that waiting-room educational materials remain only a complement to direct physician-patient communication and interaction with respect to care and treatment compliance.

“I still find the ‘hard knocks’ approach to be the best,” says Dr. Cho. “I stress with every patient the importance of a healthy diet and habits, and the importance of taking ownership of their health. If they’re not going to take care of themselves, they’re not wasting my time, only theirs.”

“It’s important for patients to take ownership of their disease and play an active role with their physician,” agrees Dr. Sivalingam. “Human interaction definitely triggers emotional responses that other media can’t.”