During a pharmacology lecture, the presenter said “fifty micrograms.” The auto-captions read “0.5 mg.” The room didn’t notice—but a Deaf pharmacy student did. One mistyped unit, two orders of magnitude off, and a potentially dangerous misunderstanding.
In medicine, captions and transcripts aren’t just convenience features. They’re clinical accuracy, equitable access, and better learning outcomes wrapped into text. If you make medical videos, teach, or publish clinical content, a consistent caption style isn’t optional—it’s your safety net.
Why style matters in medical captions
Precision saves time and prevents error: Clear notation reduces rewatching, misinterpretation, and correction loops.
Accessibility drives equity: Learners who are Deaf or hard of hearing, non-native speakers, and clinicians in noisy environments depend on consistent, readable captions.
Learning sticks when text is predictable: Structured captions improve cognitive load management and recall—especially when content is dense or fast-paced.
Build your medical caption style guide (use this as your template)
1) Doses and units
– Always use a leading zero for values <1 (0.5 mg), never a trailing zero (1 mg, not 1.0 mg).
– Keep a space between number and unit (5 mg, 10 mL).
– Write “mcg” instead of the Greek μg. When safety is paramount, consider spelling “micrograms.”
– Never use “U” for units; spell “units.”
2) Numbers and ranges
– Use numerals for all measurable values (age, lab values, doses, times).
– Express ranges with an en dash or “to” (120–140 mmHg or 120 to 140 mmHg); avoid hyphen ambiguity.
3) Abbreviations and expansions
– Expand on first mention, then abbreviate: “heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF).”
– Avoid unsafe or ambiguous abbreviations (qd → daily, BID → twice daily when the audience is patient-facing).
4) Drug names
– Use generic first, brand in parentheses if relevant: “acetaminophen (Tylenol).”
– Watch look-alike/sound-alike pairs: hydralazine vs hydroxyzine; consider adding a speaker label or on-screen clarification.
5) Labs and vitals
– Include units: “potassium 5.6 mmol/L.”
– For patient-facing content, consider “five point six millimoles per liter” to avoid symbols that screen readers misread.
6) Symbols and special characters
– Spell out Greek letters (alpha, beta). Use “plus/minus” if ± isn’t supported.
– For ions and equations, prefer the spoken form: “sodium” or “Na plus” consistently.
7) Genes and proteins
– Preserve exact case and numerals (BRCA1, p53). If the audio is unclear, flag with [verify] during editing.
8) EKG/ECG leads and clinical notation
– Use standard lead notation (I, II, III, aVR, V1–V6). Keep roman numerals uppercase.
9) Dates, times, and temperature
– Use a consistent date format (YYYY-MM-DD for research or your local standard).
– Time: choose 24-hour or 12-hour and stick to it.
– Specify temperature units (37 °C). Include a space before °C/°F if that’s your house style.
10) Non-speech information
– Include meaningful sound and visuals: [ultrasound beeping increases], [audience laughter] only where it aids comprehension.
11) Speaker labels and roles
– Identify roles when multiple speakers are present: Dr. Kim:, Resident:, Patient:
– Keep labels short and consistent.
12) Placement and line length
– Default bottom center; move up if captions cover critical visuals (surgical field, radiology annotations).
– Max 2 lines, 32–42 characters per line to reduce cognitive load.
13) Timing and reading speed
– Keep captions on screen 1–7 seconds. Aim for 140–180 words per minute.
– Avoid orphan words on a separate line; break at natural phrase boundaries.
14) Localization and spelling
– Choose US or UK spelling and units (hemoglobin vs haemoglobin, mg/dL vs mmol/L) based on audience.
– Maintain consistent decimal separators (period vs comma).
15) Privacy and de-identification
– Remove protected health information unless you have consent: [name redacted], [date removed].
– If a case is fictional or altered, note it briefly to avoid confusion.
Putting it into practice (a simple workflow)
Start with accuracy: Record in a quiet room, use a decent mic, and speak units and drug names clearly. Good audio is the cheapest accuracy upgrade.
Generate a first pass: Use a medical-grade tool like MedXcribe to produce transcripts or closed captions fine-tuned for clinical language.
Apply your style guide: Review captions with your 15 rules in hand. Standardize units, expand first-use abbreviations, fix safety-critical items (mcg vs mg), and position captions away from critical visuals.
Build a living glossary: Keep a running list of course-specific terms, drug names, gene symbols, and common abbreviations. Share it with your team.
Quality check in pairs: Have a second reviewer scan for safety issues, readability, and timing. If it’s a high-stakes video (medication dosing, procedures), perform a focused “dose and unit” pass.
Version and document: Save your style guide in a shared folder. Include examples and a short do/don’t list so new contributors ramp up fast.
Quick checklist before you publish
– Units and doses follow safety rules (leading zero, no trailing zero, mcg, units spelled).
– First-use acronyms expanded and consistent spelling throughout.
– Non-speech cues included only when meaningful.
– Captions don’t cover critical visuals.
– Reading speed comfortable; lines short and well-timed.
– PHI removed or consent documented.
Conclusion: Style is your silent safety officer
A good caption looks effortless—because the work happened behind the scenes. With a clear style guide, your medical videos become safer, easier to learn from, and more inclusive. If you’re ready to make consistent, accurate captions a habit, try generating your next transcript with MedXcribe, then apply the 15 rules above during review. Your learners—and your future self—will thank you.
