Evaluation of surgical educational videos available for third year medical students

How to design effective educational videos for teaching evidence-based medicine to undergraduate learners - systematic review with complementing qualitative research to develop a practicable guide

BACKGROUND

eLearning can be an effective tool to achieve learning objectives. It facilitates asynchronous distance learning, increasing flexibility for learners and instructors. In this context, the high educational value of videos provides an invaluable primary component for longitudinal digital curricula, especially for maintaining knowledge on otherwise rarely taught subjects. Although literature concerning eLearning evaluation exists, research comprehensively describing how to design effective educational videos is lacking. In particular, studies on the requirements and design goals of educational videos need to be complemented by qualitative research using grounded theory methodology.

METHODS

Due to the paucity of randomized controlled trials in this area, there is an urgent need to generate recommendations based on a broader fundament than a literature search alone. Thus, the authors have employed grounded theory as a guiding framework, augmented by Mayring's qualitative content analysis and commonly used standards. An adaptive approach was conducted based on a literature search and qualitative semi-structured interviews. Drawing on these results, the authors elaborated a guide for creating effective educational videos.

RESULTS

The authors identified 40 effective or presumedly effective factors fostering the success of video-based eLearning in teaching evidence-based medicine, providing a ready-to-use checklist. The information collected via the interviews supported and enriched much of the advice found in the literature.

DISCUSSION

To the authors' knowledge, this type of comprehensive guide for video-based eLearning needs has not previously been published. The interviews considerably contributed to the results. Due to the grounded theory-based approach, in particular, consensus was achieved without the presence of a formal expert panel. Although the guide was created with a focus on teaching evidence-based medicine, due to the general study selection process and research approach, the recommendations are applicable to a wide range of subjects in medical education where the teaching aim is to impart conceptual knowledge.

Interactive Surgical Training in Neuroendoscopy: Real-Time Anatomical Feature Localization Using Natural Language Expressions

OBJECTIVE

This study addresses challenges in surgical education, particularly in neuroendoscopy, where the demand for optimized workflow conflicts with the need for trainees' active participation in surgeries. To overcome these challenges, we propose a framework that accurately identifies anatomical structures within images guided by language descriptions, facilitating authentic and interactive learning experiences in neuroendoscopy.

METHODS

Utilizing the encoder-decoder architecture of a conventional transformer, our framework processes multimodal inputs (images and language descriptions) to identify and localize features in neuroendoscopic images. We curate a dataset from recorded endoscopic third ventriculostomy (ETV) procedures for training and evaluation. Utilizing evaluation metrics, including "R@n," "IoU= θ," "mIoU," and top-1 accuracy, we systematically benchmark our framework against state-of-the-art methodologies.

RESULTS

The framework demonstrates excellent generalization, surpassing the compared methods with 93.67 % accuracy and 76.08 % mIoU on unseen data. It also exhibits better computational speed compared with other methods. Qualitative results affirms the framework's effectiveness in precise localization of referred anatomical features within neuroendoscopic images.

CONCLUSION

The framework's adeptness at localizing anatomical features using language descriptions positions it as a valuable tool for integration into future interactive clinical learning systems, enhancing surgical training in neuroendoscopy.

SIGNIFICANCE

The exemplary performance reinforces the framework's potential in enhancing surgical education, leading to improved skills and outcomes for trainees in neuroendoscopy.

Assessment of the quality of oral biopsy procedure videos shared on YouTube

OBJECTIVE

The aim of this study was to assess the quality of free-to-access videos on oral biopsy procedures on the YouTube platform.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

We conducted a search on YouTube using the term "oral biopsy" and selected the first 100 videos in order of relevance. The following exclusion criteria were applied: language other than English, videos that did not cover oral biopsy techniques, videos on nonhuman specimens, postoperative instructions, personal experiences, exfoliative cytology, or "brush biopsy." Forty-seven selected videos were classified based on their duration, country of origin, date of upload to the system, author, information source and number of views, and likes and dislikes. Video quality was analyzed using DISCERN, the Global Quality Scale (GQS), and the Video Information and Quality Index (VIQI).

RESULTS

The majority (78.7%) of analyzed videos were uploaded by dentists, originating from India (48.9%), with a mean duration of 11.8 min (SD, 20.4), with 104.5 likes (SD, 186.4) and 7.1 dislikes (SD, 10.55). The mean values for DISCERN, GQS, and VIQI were 1.3 (SD, 0.52), 2.1 (SD, 1.04), and 9.62 (SD, 1.69), respectively.

CONCLUSION

The majority of videos on oral biopsy published on YouTube are of low quality.

An Automated Video Analysis System for Retrospective Assessment and Real-Time Monitoring of Endoscopic Procedures (with Video)

BACKGROUND AND AIMS

Accurate recognition of endoscopic instruments facilitates quantitative evaluation and quality control of endoscopic procedures. However, no relevant research has been reported. In this study, we aimed to develop a computer-assisted system, EndoAdd, for automated endoscopic surgical video analysis based on our dataset of endoscopic instrument images.

METHODS

Large training and validation datasets containing 45,143 images of 10 different endoscopic instruments and a test dataset of 18,375 images collected from several medical centers were used in this research. Annotated image frames were used to train the state-of-the-art object detection model, YOLO-v5, to identify the instruments. Based on the frame-level prediction results, we further developed a hidden Markov model to perform video analysis and generate heatmaps to summarize the videos.

RESULTS

EndoAdd achieved high accuracy (>97%) on the test dataset for all 10 endoscopic instrument types. The mean average accuracy, precision, recall, and F1-score were 99.1%, 92.0%, 88.8%, and 89.3%, respectively. The area under the curve values exceeded 0.94 for all instrument types. Heatmaps of endoscopic procedures were generated for both retrospective and real-time analyses.

CONCLUSIONS

We successfully developed an automated endoscopic video analysis system, EndoAdd, which supports retrospective assessment and real-time monitoring. It can be used for data analysis and quality control of endoscopic procedures in clinical practice.

Cricothyrotomy Online: Quality Assessment of Educational Videos on YouTube

BACKGROUND

Medical learners may use YouTube® videos to prepare for procedures. Videos are convenient and readily available, but without any uploading standards, their accuracy and quality for education are uncertain. We assessed the quality of emergency cricothyrotomy videos on YouTube through an expert panel of surgeons with objective quality metrics.

METHODS

A YouTube® search for "emergency cricothyrotomy" was performed and results were filtered to remove animations and lectures. The 4 most-viewed videos were sent to a panel of trauma surgeons for evaluation. An educational quality (EQ) score was generated for each video based on its ability to explain the procedure indications, orient the viewer to the patient, provide accurate narration, provide clear views of procedure, identify relevant instrumentation and anatomy, and explain critical maneuvers. Reviewers were also asked if safety concerns were present and encouraged to give feedback in a free-response field.

RESULTS

Four surgical attendings completed the survey. The median EQ score was 6 on a 7-point scale (95% CI [6, 6]). All but one of the individual parameters had a median EQ score of 6 (95% CI: indications [3, 7], orientation [5, 7], narration [6, 7], clarity [6, 7], instruments [6, 7], anatomy [6, 6], critical maneuvers [5, 6]). Safety received a lower EQ score (5.5, 95% CI [2, 6]).

CONCLUSIONS

The most-viewed cricothyrotomy videos were rated positively by surgical attendings. Still, it is necessary to know if medical learners can distinguish high from low quality videos. If not, this suggests a need for surgical societies to create high-quality videos that can be reliably and efficiently accessed on YouTube®.

Medical student preparation for the operating room

BACKGROUND

This study examines student perceptions of preparedness for the operating room (OR), resources used, and time spent in preparation.

METHODS

Third-year medical and second-year physician assistant students across two campuses at a single academic institution were surveyed to assess perceptions of preparedness, time spent in preparation, resources used, and perceived benefits of preparation.

RESULTS

95 responses (response rate 49%) were received. Students reported being most prepared to discuss operative indications and contraindications (73%), anatomy (86%), and complications (70%), but few felt prepared to discuss operative steps (31%). Students spent a mean of 28 min preparing per case, citing UpToDate and online videos as the most used resources (74%; 73%). On secondary analysis, only the use of an anatomic atlas was weakly correlated with improved preparedness to discuss relevant anatomy (p = 0.005); time spent, number of resources or other specific resources were not associated with increased preparedness.

CONCLUSION

Students felt prepared for the OR, though there is room for improvement and a need for student-oriented preparatory materials. Understanding the deficits in preparation, preference for technology-based resources, and time constraints of current students can be used to inform optimisation for medical student education and resources to prepare for operating room cases.

"LEARN", a novel teaching method for Chinese clinical clerkship: A cross-sectional study

Background

Despite the clerkship being crucial in the training of a future doctor, no widely accepted education model has been proposed. This study devised a new model for clinical clerkship rotations, titled "LEARN" for Lecture, English-video, Advisor, Real-case and Notion, and evaluated whether the LEARN model is appropriate for medical education in China.

Methods

A cross-sectional study was performed among 101 fourth-year students from the Xiangya School of Medicine during an Orthopaedic Surgery clerkship rotation in the Third Xiangya Hospital. They were divided into seven groups and took clerkship based on the LEARN model. A questionnaire was collected at the conclusion to measure learning outcomes.

Results

The LEARN model was highly accepted with the acceptance of five sessions being 95.92% (94/98), 93.88% (92/98), 96.98% (97/98), 100% (98/98) and 96.94% (95/98). The outcomes of two genders were comparable, whereas a difference was observed in the test score among groups (group 3 scored 93.93 ± 5.20, higher than others). Quantitative analysis showed that positive correlations existed in participation in the Notion (Notion means students' case discussion) section with leadership (r = 0.84, 95% CI: 0.72-0.94, p < 0.001), participation in the Real-case section with leadership (r = 0.66, 95% CI: 0.50-0.80, p < 0.001), participation in the Real-case section with mastery of inquiring skills (r = 0.57, 95% CI: 0.40-0.71, p < 0.001) and participation in the Notion section with mastery of physical examination skills (r = 0.56, 95% CI: 0.40-0.69, p < 0.001). Further qualitative analysis demonstrated that high-level participation in the English-video section indicated better outcomes in mastery of inquiring (p < 0.01), physical examination (p < 0.001), film reading (p < 0.01) and clinical reasoning (p < 0.01) skills.

Conclusion

Our results support the LEARN model is a promising method for medical clerkship in China. Further research involving more participants and more meticulous design is planned to test its efficacy. For refinement, educators may try to promote students' participation in the English-video session.

Teaching Histology Using Self-Directed Learning Modules (SDLMs) in a Blended Approach

INTRODUCTION

New technologies like virtual microscopy have revolutionized histology education. However, first-year students often require additional assistance with virtual slides. Online self-directed learning modules (SDLMs) were developed to provide such support to learners by offering them short instructional videos that are uploaded to YouTube and the instructional website. The purpose of this study was to determine the effectiveness of SDLMs and to sample students' opinions about SDLMs.

METHOD

Over a 3-year time span, SDLMs were used to augment histology lessons, and their effectiveness (on learning outcomes) was measured by using traditional steeple-chase and/or virtual slide assessments. Average percentage scores for both methods of assessment were compared using paired or independent t-tests. Student opinions about SDLMs were collected using an anonymous survey. The survey results were analyzed by average scores and thematic analysis of the narrative responses.

RESULTS

Using SDLMs in a blended approach showed significant improvement in students' academic performance - irrespective of the method of assessment. There was a strong positive correlation with the performance when students were assessed using the virtual slide method. However, a standalone approach using SDLMs did not positively impact learning outcomes. Survey results indicated that most students perceived the videos as helpful for understanding the subject better and as quick review opportunities.

CONCLUSION

The results support the use of SDLMs in a blended instructional approach and as an adjunct resource to conventional microscopy. This use of SDLMs was positively received by learners and significantly improved the learning outcome.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s40670-022-01669-9.

Student video production within health professions education: A scoping review

BACKGROUND

Recent technological developments have influenced a shift in the use of videos in Health Professions Education (HPE). Rather than casting students in the role of observers of videos, educators have been asking students to produce videos as a learning activity. The assumption is that video production is often an active and collaborative exercise, therefore could engage students and enhance learning. However, applications of this emerging pedagogical approach vary, and there has not been a knowledge synthesis to guide future research and practice.

METHODS

With a view to mapping existing knowledge, identifying avenues for further research, and informing practice, we conducted a scoping review to establish current understanding of video production in HPE. We undertook a literature search of seven databases and identified thirty-six studies.

RESULTS

The findings showed considerable variation in purposes and implementation approaches, consequences and challenges associated with video production. In particular, the assumption that creating a video automatically promotes student engagement was not well supported, especially when the intended learning was not made apparent to students.

CONCLUSION

Overall, the review suggests that despite the increasing adoption of video production in HPE, the purposes are often unclear; pedagogical considerations underlying project design are limited, which risks undermining the intended learning. To optimise educational benefits, future video production projects should be explicit in their intention and approach, draw upon pedagogical theories, anticipate and address implementation issues, and be robust in their formative and summative assessment processes. Future research should more explicitly show the relationship between the intended learning and the underlying pedagogy and thoroughly evaluate the effectiveness and feasibility of video production projects.

Brave new E-world: Medical students' preferences for and usage of electronic learning resources during two different phases of their education

E-learning strategies have become an important part of biomedical education. However, why and how medical students select hardware tools and software formats during their preclinical education has not been sufficiently evaluated. These aspects should be considered when designing or offering new e-learning modalities to learners. Two medical school classes at a major US medical school were surveyed about their use of e-learning resources during their first year of medical school or their preparation for their first licensing examination (USMLE® Step 1), respectively. Their responses were analyzed for patterns and significant changes. Students' answers indicated that computers and tablets were considered the most important hardware devices to support students' learning. During the first year, students often preferred resources that were tailored to the specific courses in their curriculum. In contrast, some preferences changed when students prepared for the USMLE Step 1, with students shifting almost exclusively to a solitary learning strategy using commercial e-learning resources. Across all phases of medical school education queried, peer advice was the major determinant influencing e-learning resource selection with faculty only playing a minor role. Videos were the most popular e-learning modality, and students cited efficient acquisition of knowledge and preparation for examinations as major reasons for e-learning tool utilization. These factors should be considered when offering e-learning resources to medical students during different phases of their preclinical training.

Social media as a tool for surgical education: a qualitative systematic review

Background

Social media use has exploded, attaining a significant influence within medicine. Previous studies have denoted the use of social media in various surgical specialties as a means to exchange professional ideas and improve the conference experience and at the same time, some have assessed its feasibility as a method of education. This systematic review aims to characterize the use of social media as a tool for general surgery education.

Methods

A systematic review of several databases from each database inception was conducted following the PRISMA guidelines. The JBI’s critical appraisal tools were used to assess quality of the studies.

Results

A total of 861 articles were identified of which 222 were duplicates removed. The titles and abstracts from the remaining 639 abstracts were screened and 589 were excluded. The remaining 51 full articles were analyzed for eligibility, of which 24 met inclusion criteria and were included in the systematic review. These studies covered the general surgery specialty, of which 11 (n = 46%) focused on the laparoscopic surgical approach, 1 (n = 4%) on robotic-assisted surgical procedures, 1 (n = 4%) on both surgical approaches previously mentioned and 11 (n = 46%) on the general surgery specialty regardless of the surgical approach or technique.

Conclusions

Advantages that SM offers should be considered, and content creators and institutions should help collectively to make sure that the content being published is evidence and guideline-based so its use it is taken to the maximum benefit.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s00464-022-09150-9.

Are YouTube Videos a Reliable Training Method for Safe Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy? A Simulated Decision-Making Exercise to Assess the Critical View of Safety

Background  The present study assesses the educational value of laparoscopic cholecystectomy videos on YouTube regarding the correct application of the critical view of safety (CVS), and evaluates… surgical trainees' perceptions of the CVS criteria in a simulated, operative decision-making exercise.

Methods  YouTube was systematically searched for laparoscopic cholecystectomy videos, explicitly reporting a satisfactory CVS. The top 30 most popular videos, by number of views, were identified and scored on the 6-point scale by three experienced consultants. After watching a training module on CVS rationale and criteria, 10 trainees, blinded to the consultants' assessment, were instructed to view the videos, score each criterion and answer the binary question “Would you divide the cystic structures?” by “yes” or “no.”

Results  An inadequate CVS was found in 30% of the included videos. No statistical association was noted between number of views, likes, or dislikes with successful CVS rates. Inter-observer agreement between consultants and trainees ranged from minimal to moderate ( k  = 0.07–0.60). Discrepancy between trainees' CVS scores and their simulated decision to proceed to division of the cystic structures was found in 15% of assessments, with intra-observer agreement ranging from minimal to excellent ( k  = 0.27–1.0). For the CVS requirements, inter-observer agreement was minimal for the dissection of the cystic plate ( k  = 0.26) and triangle clearance ( k  = 0.39) and moderate for the identification of two and only two structures ( k  = 0.42).

Conclusion  The CVS is central to the culture of safety in laparoscopic cholecystectomy. Surgical videos are a useful training tool as simulated, operative decision-making exercises. However, public video platforms should be used judiciously, since their content is not peer-reviewed or quality-controlled.

Implementing Rubric-Based Peer Review for Video Microlecture Design in Health Professions Education

Efficient and effective instructional materials designed for asynchronous learning are increasingly important in health professions curricula. Video microlectures are an effective instructional method, but many faculty lack training in applying best-practice multimedia principles to development of their own recorded microlectures. Here we report a rubric designed for use in a peer-review process to evaluate and improve microlectures. The one-page rubric provides a framework for application of multimedia principles and cognitive load theory to microlecture design. Quality improvement of microlectures following redesign according to rubric elements is supported by increased student viewership, which coincided with higher rubric peer review scores.

Comprehensive assessment of the quality and reliability of the ten most-viewed YouTube videos on thoracoscopic lobectomy in children: a comparison from the available videos on a peer-reviewed platform

BACKGROUND

Surgery residents often consider learning from the operative videos on YouTube, however, the quality of these videos is questionable. We aim to compare the quality and reliability of operative videos on thoracoscopic lobectomy (TL) in children available on YouTube (YT) and WebSurg (WS).

METHODS

Using a defined search strategy, the most-viewed YT videos and all available WS videos on TL in children were identified. The quality and reliability of the two groups of videos were compared using the video popularity index (VPI), Journal of American Medical Association (JAMA) benchmark criteria, and LAP-VEGaS quality assessment tool. On the basis of the LAP-VEGaS score, the videos were divided into acceptable quality (score ≥ 11) or poor quality (score < 11).

RESULTS

Ten most-viewed YT videos were compared with six relevant videos on WS. The median %VPI among the WS and YT videos were 83.3 (range 71.5-404.4) and 49.4 (range 0-270), respectively (p = 0.017). The median JAMA score of the WS videos was also significantly higher than the YT videos (p = 0.0003). In terms of the LAP-VEGaS scores, all WS videos versus only three YT had an acceptable quality.

CONCLUSIONS

As compared to the WS videos, the quality and reliability of the YT videos on TL were significantly poorer.

Quality Assessment of YouTube Videos on Laparoscopic Pyloromyotomy Using a Validated Tool: An Appeal to Trainees to Follow the Peer-Reviewed Videos for Learning Purposes

Background: Surgical trainees often resort to operative videos on the internet during preparation for surgery; YouTube is the most commonly explored video source by them. However, the quality of these videos is often questioned. This study was performed to assess the quality of available YouTube videos on laparoscopic pyloromyotomy (LP). Materials and Methods: The term "laparoscopic pyloromyotomy" was searched on YouTube on June 2, 2021, and 20 most-viewed videos on LP were included. A reference video on LP from WebSurg was also selected. The laparoscopic surgery video educational guidelines (LAP-VEGaS) tool was utilized for quality assessment of these videos. Descriptive variables, including the surgeon's details; year of video upload; duration of the video; view, like, and dislike counts; number of ports used; and instruments used for pyloromyotomy, were recorded and their relationship with video quality was studied. Results: The majority of videos were from the United States and India, and a surgeon could be identified in 90% of them. The median (range) video duration and view, like, and dislike counts were 2.89 (0.68-8.80) minutes, 2308 (1102-23,682), 5 (0-59), and 0 (0-11), respectively. The LAP-VEGaS score of the reference video was 17. In contrast, the scores of YouTube videos ranged from 1 to 14. The quality of these videos was poor in 5/9 domains. None of the descriptive variables showed a significant association with high video quality. Conclusion: Compared with the reference video, the overall quality of YouTube videos on LP was poor. Therefore, until a screening tool is available for selection of high-quality YouTube videos, trainees must resort to peer-reviewed video platforms.

Object and anatomical feature recognition in surgical video images based on a convolutional neural network

Purpose

Artificial intelligence-enabled techniques can process large amounts of surgical data and may be utilized for clinical decision support to recognize or forecast adverse events in an actual intraoperative scenario. To develop an image-guided navigation technology that will help in surgical education, we explored the performance of a convolutional neural network (CNN)-based computer vision system in detecting intraoperative objects.

Methods

The surgical videos used for annotation were recorded during surgeries conducted in the Department of Surgery of Tokyo Women’s Medical University from 2019 to 2020. Abdominal endoscopic images were cut out from manually captured surgical videos. An open-source programming framework for CNN was used to design a model that could recognize and segment objects in real time through IBM Visual Insights. The model was used to detect the GI tract, blood, vessels, uterus, forceps, ports, gauze and clips in the surgical images.

Results

The accuracy, precision and recall of the model were 83%, 80% and 92%, respectively. The mean average precision (mAP), the calculated mean of the precision for each object, was 91%. Among surgical tools, the highest recall and precision of 96.3% and 97.9%, respectively, were achieved for forceps. Among the anatomical structures, the highest recall and precision of 92.9% and 91.3%, respectively, were achieved for the GI tract.

Conclusion

The proposed model could detect objects in operative images with high accuracy, highlighting the possibility of using AI-based object recognition techniques for intraoperative navigation. Real-time object recognition will play a major role in navigation surgery and surgical education.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s11548-021-02434-w.

YouTube as a resource for surgical education with a focus on plastic surgery - a systematic review

Surgery trainees use videos as a means to learn about surgical procedures. YouTube is the biggest online video platform and used for educational content as well but the medical information provided does not undergo peer review or other forms of scientific screening and can thus be of poorer quality. We performed a systematic review that examined the quality of educational videos about surgery and plastic surgery in particular on YouTube. The focus was towards studies on the benefit of YouTube videos for surgical trainees. A literature review was performed to determine the educational quality of plastic surgery videos found on YouTube. Articles reviewing the educational quality of videos about surgical procedures, their accuracy, and their utility for surgical trainees were included. An additional review was performed evaluating the literature about the quality of educational plastic surgery videos. Eleven articles were selected reviewing the educational quality of videos about surgical procedures. Six studies were fully assessed and evaluated concerning the quality of educational plastic surgery videos. There currently seems to be a lack of comprehensive educational surgery and in particular plastic surgery-related information on YouTube. The popularity of YouTube among surgical trainees is high. The quality of available educational surgical video content varies widely. It is in the interest of plastic surgery teaching institutions to provide trainees with high-quality educational video material.

Assessment of YouTube as an Educational Tool in Teaching Key Indicator Cases in Otolaryngology During the COVID-19 Pandemic and Beyond: Neck Dissection

OBJECTIVES

YouTube has become the preferred resource for trainees in otolaryngology to prepare for surgery. This study aimed to compare the evaluation by 2 attending physicians and 2 resident physicians of the quality of videos on YouTube on neck dissection, a key indicator case in head and neck surgery. The authors aimed to assess the quality and quantity of YouTube videos available for development of a virtual surgical educational curriculum for trainees in otolaryngology.

METHODS

Using the YouTube search feature, the top 10 videos by relevance and view count were compiled using the following search terms: radical neck dissection, selective neck dissection, modified radical neck dissection, lateral neck dissection, levels I-III neck dissection, levels II-IV, left neck dissection, right neck dissection, cervical nodal dissection, and supraomohyoid neck dissection. A total of 37 videos on neck dissection were identified and analyzed using the LAP-VEGaS criteria as well as author-specific modified LAP-VEGaS criteria.

RESULTS

The mean comprehensive LAP-VEGaS score was 8.74 (SD 3.10). The majority of videos (24/37) were designated as medium quality; 10 of 37 videos were low quality and 3 of 37 videos were high quality. In the total group analysis, there was excellent inter-rater reliability between attending physicians (Cohen's kappa coefficient of 0.84) and good inter-rater reliability between resident physicians (Cohen's kappa coefficient of 0.58). There was no correlation between total view count, video age, or number of likes/dislikes and the overall LAP-VEGaS score. The presence of audio or written commentary had a moderate positive correlation with LAP-VEGaS score (adjusted R² of 0.36). There was no statistically significant difference in video quality between videos posted by US and non-US based physicians (95% confidence interval -0.10 to 4.10; p = 0.06). However, videos made by an otolaryngology-trained physician had a LAP-VEGaS score that was 3.93 points higher (95% confidence interval 2.34-5.52; p < 0.001) than that of videos made by a nonotolaryngology-trained physician.

CONCLUSIONS

Online videos of neck dissection represent an increasingly ubiquitous and appropriate resource for trainees in learning otolaryngology key indicator cases. While free-to-access video repositories, such as YouTube, have become increasingly popular among trainees as a primary resource for learning and preparing for surgical cases, they lack consistent quality and as such, global efforts should be taken to improve the breadth and depth of educational video content in otolaryngology.