Three minutes into a cardiology teaching video, a fellow pauses. Was that “mg” or “mcg”? The captions read 50 mg, but the speaker meant 50 micrograms. One tiny symbol, huge clinical difference. Medical captions aren’t just about accessibility—they’re about precision. Whether you publish grand rounds, surgical walk-throughs, or patient education, a simple style guide can be the difference between clarity and confusion.
Why Medical Captions Need Their Own Rules
Medical videos carry dense terminology, rapid-fire acronyms, and life-critical numerics. Unlike entertainment content, ambiguity isn’t an option. A consistent caption style:
– Reduces misinterpretation of drug doses and units
– Improves learning outcomes for trainees
– Speeds up searchability and review (think: CTRL+F for “NSTEMI” or “laparoscopic cholecystectomy”)
– Supports diverse audiences: clinicians, students, researchers, and patients with hearing loss or non-native English backgrounds
Below is a compact, practical style guide you can adopt today.
12 Rules for Clear, Accurate Medical Subtitles
1) Expand acronyms on first mention
– First mention: non-ST-elevation myocardial infarction (NSTEMI)
– Subsequent mentions: NSTEMI
– Do this for departments and devices too: transesophageal echocardiography (TEE)
2) Standardize drug naming
– Prefer generic names; include brand only if clinically relevant: acetaminophen (Tylenol)
– Keep generic lowercased; brand capitalized
– Include dosage form if needed: metoprolol tartrate 25 mg tablet
3) Handle units and symbols safely
– Use SI symbols consistently: mg, mL, mmol/L
– Avoid ambiguous micro symbol; use “microgram (mcg)” on first mention. If your platform supports the µ character reliably, note it in your guide and keep usage consistent.
– No trailing zeros (5 mg, not 5.0 mg); include leading zeros (0.5 mg, not .5 mg)
4) Numbers: choose clarity over tradition
– Use numerals for all clinical values, counts, and vitals: 3 doses, 7 mm, 120/80
– Spell out only when it’s conversational and not clinical: “two options for rehab” is fine
5) Decode Greek letters and symbols
– Write them out on first mention: beta-blocker (β-blocker) if your platform reliably renders Greek; otherwise stick to “beta-blocker”
– For statistics: p < 0.05 is acceptable; ensure consistent spacing and symbol use
6) Translate shorthand at first sight
– First mention: 5 mg IV every 8 hours (q8h)
– Later mentions: q8h is acceptable
– Convert time ranges: 3–5 days; keep en-dashes or use “to” if your platform can’t display them well
7) Protect critical pairings
– Never break numbers from their units across lines: keep “5 mg” together
– Keep drug + dose together when possible: “furosemide 20 mg”
8) Speaker labels and non-speech cues
– Use role-based labels for clarity: Attending, Resident, Nurse, Patient
– Include essential audio cues in brackets when clinically relevant: [alarm beeping], [defibrillator charge], [ultrasound Doppler tone]
– Avoid over-labeling; focus on cues that affect understanding
9) Readability timing and line breaks
– Aim for 1–2 lines per caption, up to ~42 characters per line
– Keep pace around 140–180 words per minute; dense slides may need slower pacing
– Break lines at natural phrase boundaries; never split medical terms or abbreviations
10) Terminology consistency
– Choose US or UK spelling and stick to it: hemorrhage vs haemorrhage
– Standardize eponyms and capitalization: Parkinson disease (no apostrophe in modern usage), Gram stain (capital G), culture-negative endocarditis
11) Patient privacy matters
– Remove personally identifiable information in teaching videos: [name redacted]
– Blur or omit on-screen PHI; reflect redactions in captions if referenced by speakers
– Document consent status in your production workflow, even if not shown in captions
12) Visual coordination
– Time captions to match procedural steps and on-screen labels
– Avoid covering critical overlays; if your platform allows, reposition captions
– For multi-language projects, set a rule to retain original units and numbers across translations
Build Your Caption Workflow (Without Burning Time)
Start a specialty glossary: Cardiology, Oncology, Surgery—keep separate term lists to avoid cross-specialty confusion (e.g., “stent” vs “stent graft”).
Use custom dictionaries: Load drug lists, instruments, and procedure names so your tool recognizes them every time.
Create a quick-reference sheet: 1 page with your 12 rules, preferred spellings, and examples. Share it with faculty, editors, and vendors.
Add a second set of eyes: A brief SME review of doses, units, and device names catches high-risk errors.
Version and measure: Note the style guide version in your credits. Track edits—if “µg” causes rendering issues, update once and apply everywhere.
Accessibility check: Include meaningful non-speech cues and ensure reading speed suits complex diagrams and bilingual viewers.
Where MedXcribe Fits In
MedXcribe is fine-tuned on medical data, so terms like “tenecteplase,” “Whipple,” or “end-diastolic pressure” land correctly the first time. You can:
– Upload a custom glossary for your service line
– Preserve timestamps aligned to procedural steps
– Export to SRT/VTT with consistent styling
– Run quick passes to expand abbreviations and normalize units
Conclusion: Make Precision a Habit
The best captions don’t just repeat words—they carry clinical meaning safely. Adopt these 12 rules, build a lightweight glossary, and add a quick SME review. Your learners will grasp more, your videos will search better, and your risk of misinterpretation will drop.
Ready to standardize your captions? Try MedXcribe on your next lecture or surgical demo, and import your glossary to see clinically accurate subtitles in action.
