5-minute video prepares nurses to spot life-threatening HAE attacks
Pilot study shows approach boosts students’ confidence
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A five-minute educational video designed to help healthcare professionals recognize and respond to life-threatening hereditary angioedema (HAE) attacks improved nursing students’ knowledge, confidence, and motivation to care for patients in a pilot U.K. study.
Researchers hope the tool could ultimately improve emergency care for people with HAE, who often report feeling unheard or receiving delayed or inadequate treatment during severe swelling attacks.
“The short video intervention shows promise for use with emergency care professionals,” the researchers wrote. “Evaluation with emergency care professionals and assessment of longer-term information retention and behaviour change is needed.”
The study, “Improving capability, opportunity and motivation to support hereditary angioedema patients experiencing life threatening attacks: Pilot evaluation of a video-based training tool for healthcare professionals,” was published in International Emergency Nursing.
HAE is an inherited disorder that causes recurrent episodes of swelling in different parts of the body, including the airways. When swelling affects the throat, it can block breathing and become life-threatening without prompt and effective treatment. International guidelines recommend treating these attacks as early as possible, because delays can increase the risk of death.
Patients report bad experiences with emergency care
Despite the need for urgency, many patients in the U.K. “report negative emergency care experiences and have described ongoing psychological distress after perceived suboptimal emergency care support,” the researchers wrote.
The World Allergy Organization and the European Academy of Allergy and Clinical Immunology recommend that emergency departments train their staff to recognize and treat HAE attacks, making it “essential to develop interventions to improve the quality of care in emergency settings, reduce risk of loss of life and preserve psychological wellbeing for patients,” they said.
In making the video, the researchers used the Capability, Opportunity, Motivation, Behaviour (COM-B) model to identify factors influencing healthcare professionals’ actions and to incorporate evidence-based behavior change techniques, with the goal of improving their knowledge, confidence, and motivation to recognize and respond to life-threatening HAE attacks.
Rather than focusing solely on the medical aspects of HAE, the video combined perspectives from immunologists, patients, family members, and a patient advocacy representative to raise awareness of the disease and encourage healthcare professionals to listen to patients, recognize life-threatening angioedema symptoms, and respond quickly in emergencies.
The researchers tested the video on 64 nursing students, who completed questionnaires immediately before and after watching it. The surveys assessed its effectiveness using components of the COM-B framework: participants’ knowledge and confidence in recognizing and managing HAE attacks (capability), whether they felt supported in providing appropriate care (opportunity), and their willingness and intention to do so (motivation).
Before watching the video, 92% of participants had never heard of HAE, and two reported previous clinical experience with the disease. After viewing the video, students showed significant improvements across all COM-B measures, indicating they felt better prepared, more confident, and more motivated to care for patients experiencing life-threatening HAE attacks.
The students’ written responses suggested the video increased their understanding of HAE. Many said they would now be able to recognize the condition, identify its symptoms, and understand the basics of its emergency management.
Many also said the video changed how they would approach future patients, emphasizing the importance of listening to people with HAE, trusting their knowledge of their own condition, and engaging in shared decision-making.
“Patients know their bodies — take them seriously,” one student wrote.
Others said they felt more prepared to respond appropriately if they encountered HAE in clinical practice.
“If I encounter the disease in the future I’ll try to ask for help quickly and read around it,” another student wrote.
Participants also said the combination of expert explanations and real-life patient stories made the information easier to remember and more emotionally engaging.
“I think [the video] was very good in teaching us and telling us what to expect,” one participant wrote.
While overall reception to the video was positive, a minority wanted slower pacing, additional visuals, or a brief “what to do” summary.
The researchers said supplementing the video with additional educational resources, such as infographics or quick-reference guides, could further improve healthcare professionals’ preparedness and, ultimately, emergency care for people with HAE.
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