Medical Content Creation: What Photo or Image?

I can’t leave out the cliché that goes with this title, “A picture is worth a thousand words!” There…I said it. Well, a picture can be the springboard for medical content and is definitely worth many words. So, photos or images are a great place to start as a source of inspiration for medical content.

Photo or image ideas that can spark a medical discussion or be the foundation for medical content include:

• Historic scientist or medical event
• Infographic about medical algorithms or disease symptoms
• Diagnostic test result (i.e., radiograph, CT scan, MRI, or variety of lab results)
• Historic or contemporary artwork that may have medical implications
• Physical exam finding (either normal or from disease, disability, or illness)
• Medical equipment
• Locations and types of medical practices (i.e., city vs rural; medical office vs clinic vs hospital; military medical facility; mobile clinic; first aid table; etc.)
• Medical conference lecturer (i.e., presenting about a treatment, procedure, or other topic)
• Medical presentation slides (i.e., topic slides from a presentation or informational slides)
• Medical conference research poster or title
• News headline (i.e., medical or healthcare related)
• Medical journal article headline
• Activity where there may be a risk of injury or illness (i.e., specific sport, work activity, public place or event, etc.)
• Cartoon (i.e., medical or other)
• Something in nature that may be connected to something medical or health related (i.e., a plant, animal, foreign material, etc.)
• Household objects or appliances that can cause injury or illness (i.e., electrical outlet, pool, household cleaning products, etc.)
• Medication, vaccine, vitamin, or other medical treatment or supplement
• Food that may generate a medical or health discussion (i.e. fruits, vegetables, grains, etc.)
• Exercise postures, movements, equipment, or activities
• Geographic locations
• Medical procedures
• People connected to you in some way (i.e., family, friends, or work) or people in certain circumstances, with an illness or injury, or working in a medical/healthcare capacity

This is by no means an exhaustive list of photo or image ideas. There are many other categories that you can explore. These are just what came to my mind. The only limitation is your own imagination. Of note, if you are using a photo of a presentation side or someone’s research poster, it is always nice to give that person or group credit for the information. If you are using images of patients, please check with your institution’s or organization’s policy on using photos or images of patients because there will likely be a consent process if it is allowed.

Once you have your photo or image, ask yourself the following questions to create impact with your medical content:

• What does the photo or image represent?

• Why is the photo or image important?

• How is the photo or image connected with medicine or healthcare?

Choosing the right photo or image is important, but content created around it is more important. Make your audience understand that you chose that particular photo or image for a reason, so they can appreciate its significance. I have recently created an article based on a painting by John William Waterhouse, "The Danaides", to show how one can create medical content by using a photo or image as the inspiration for the content.

Is there a photo or image idea that gives you the most inspiration for medical content? Please share your idea with us in the comments!