OBJECTIVE: Our goal was to develop an interactive DVD to help African American and Caucasian American adults with hypertension learn how to become better communicators during medical interactions. Material was to be presented in several formats, including patients' narratives (stories).

METHODS: To develop the narratives we recruited members of the target audience and elicited stories and story units in focus groups, interviews, and seminars. Story units were ranked-ordered based on conformance with the theory of planned behavior and narrative qualities and then melded into cohesive stories. The stories were recounted by actors on the DVD.

RESULTS: 55 adults (84% women; 93% African American) participated in a focus group, interview, or seminar; transcripts yielded 120 story units. The most highly rated units were woven into 11 stories. The six highest rated stories/actor-storytellers were selected for presentation on the DVD.

CONCLUSION: We achieved our goal of developing an easy-to-use, story-driven product that may teach adults how to talk effectively with their doctors about hypertension. The DVD's effectiveness should be tested in a randomized trial. PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS: Behavioral interventions aimed at improving patients' ability to communicate during doctor visits may be useful adjuncts in the achievement of BP goals.