The use of comic-style reading for explaining complex procedures is emerging in a number of medical fields. For instance, proton therapy provider Varian previously devised a comic book about a superhero named Proton Man who combats various forms of cancer in patients as they undergo proton therapy. The objective is to make pediatric cancer patients feel more at ease in undergoing proton therapy procedures.

“One of the things we’ve recently done as a vendor is introduce a new comic book hero, Proton Man, that actually is directed at teaching both parents and kids about proton therapy,” Bill Hansen, director of proton marketing at Varian, told HCB News at the time. “We’re using a comic book to literally tell them the story of a child going through it and the superhero being protons that are going to save the day.”

The comic-style information will be used as part of the informed consent procedure prior to cardiac catheterization at Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin.

Science communication specialist Alexandra Hamann, in conjunction with Stangl and Brand, developed the concept and manuscript of the booklet, with images drawn by illustrator Sophia Matrineck.

Funding for the project was provided by the Friede Springer Foundation.

The findings of the study were published in the journal, Annals of Internal Medicine.

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