An Evaluation of YouTube Videos as a Surgical Instructional Tool for Endoscopic Endonasal Approaches in Otolaryngology

• Published in: Ear, nose, & throat journal nose, & throat journal, 2024-07, Vol.103 (7), p.NP440-NP449
• Main Authors: De La Torre, Amy B., Joe, Stephanie, Lee, Victoria S.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Laparoscopy
• ISSN: 0145-5613; 1942-7522; 1942-7522
• DOI: 10.1177/01455613211062447

Objectives Online surgical videos are an increasingly popular resource for surgical trainees, especially in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. Our objective was to assess the instructional quality of the YouTube videos of the transsphenoidal surgical approach (TSA), using LAParoscopic surgery Video Educational Guidelines (LAP-VEGaS). Methods YouTube TSA videos were searched using 5 keywords. Video characteristics were recorded. Two fellowship-trained rhinologists evaluated videos using LAP-VEGaS (scale 0 [worst] to 18 [best]). Results The searches produced 43 unique, unduplicated videos for analysis. Mean video length 7 minutes (standard deviation [SD] = 13), mean viewership was 16 017 views (SD = 29 415), and mean total LAP-VEGaS score was 9 (SD = 3). The LAP-VEGaS criteria with the lowest mean scores were presentation of the positioning of the patient/surgical team (mean = 0.2; SD = 0.6) and the procedure outcomes (mean = 0.4; SD = 0.6). There was substantial interrater agreement (κ = 0.71). Conclusions LAP-VEGaS, initially developed for laparoscopic procedures, is useful for evaluating TSA instructional videos. There is an opportunity to improve the quality of these videos.