How to build trust with a patient living abroad, what the rules allow, and the formats that fill a schedule.
What the rules allow you to show
Four limits, to be validated before any shoot.
Advertising for health procedures and establishments is regulated, and what is allowed depends on the speciality concerned. This is checked with the health authority and the relevant professional body, with a local lawyer, before writing the script.
Before-and-after images fall under a particular regime and are often restricted, even prohibited depending on the procedure.
Price comparison with another country, the sector's central argument, follows rules of fair advertising.
And any promise of a result is to be excluded on principle, whatever the wording.
One consequence for method: have the script reread by the clinic's quality department and by a lawyer, before the shoot, not after the edit.
What builds trust at a distance
Five formats, from most effective to least.
The logistical journey filmed end to end: arrival, transfer, accommodation, consultation, discharge. It is the most watched and most reassuring content.
The return home, dealt with above.
The introduction of the people: the practitioner, the person who greets, the one who translates. People entrust their health to faces, not to a logo.
The tour of the premises, in one continuous take, with no flattering edit.
And the answer to written questions received, filmed simply, without rephrasing them.
Consent, stricter than elsewhere
Four rules, not negotiable.
Consent is collected in writing, separately from consent to treatment, with which it must never be confused.
It is not requested the day before a procedure nor on the day itself, a moment when the person is not in a position to refuse freely.
It states the duration, the channels, the territory, and the fact that withdrawal remains possible.
And it is never obtained against a discount on the treatment, a consideration that vitiates the agreement.
One prudent practice: a shoot involving a person under care is prepared with the establishment's lawyer, and not under a simple content creation contract.
Which creators to engage
Three profiles, with their uses.
The travel creator, documenting the journey, the accommodation and the country. It is the safest profile in regulatory terms, since they do not speak about the treatment.
The creator from the patient's country, speaking the language and the codes of the target audience, useful for the practical information part.
And the establishment's own health professional, the only one legitimate to explain a procedure, within the limits set by their professional body.
One casting note: never ask a non-clinical creator to describe a medical procedure, even by rephrasing a supplied document.
What can be shown and what cannot
| On screen | Allowed under conditions | Forbidden |
|---|---|---|
| The reception and premises | With the clinic's consent | A recognisable patient without written consent |
| A stay itinerary | Travel, lodging, logistics | A medical procedure filmed |
| A testimonial | A dated personal experience | A result promise |
What is verified before writing a single sentence
The practitioner's title, the facility's certification, and what health advertising allows locally. Each point is confirmed with the facility and a lawyer, never from memory.
What protects the person filmed
Written consent specific to the video, the ability to withdraw it, and the complete absence of medical data in image or sound.
The Costa Rican calendar
Three periods, with different needs.
The dry season, from December to April, concentrates arrivals and is prepared in September.
The green season offers lower rates and an argument of quietness, a theme little used in content.
And the weeks following the major holidays, when searches rise and advertising competition falls back.
One last marker: in this sector, the most useful video is not the one showing the best technical facilities, it is the one answering the question nobody dares ask out loud. Look for it in the messages received, and film the answer as it is.
