Abstract
Objective The use of online teaching modalities to supplement surgical learning has increased
recently, demonstrating promising results. Previous studies have analyzed the value
and usefulness of YouTube as an educational source to learners, including teaching
surgical skills to Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery (OHNS) trainees. YouTube videos
on endoscopic sinus surgery (ESS) still need to be explored as ESS remains a common,
yet challenging surgery that OHNS residents encounter regularly. This study aimed
to objectively evaluate the usefulness of YouTube videos on ESS for surgical education.
Design YouTube was searched using the following keywords: “uncinectomy,” “maxillary antrostomy,”
“anterior ethmoidectomy,” and “ethmoid bulla resection.” These represent the initial
ESS steps residents learn. Each video was assessed for eligibility by two independent
reviewers.
Outcome Measures The LAParoscopic surgery Video Educational Guidelines (LAP-VEGaS) and ESS-specific
criteria were used to assess educational quality. Video popularity index (VPI) was
used to calculate video popularity.
Results Of the 38 videos that met inclusion criteria, the average LAP-VEGaS score was 6.59
(± ) 3.23 standard deviation. Most videos were designated low quality. There was a
weak positive correlation between whether a video included ESS-specific criteria and
LAP-VEGaS score (r = 0.269, p = 0.102). There was a significant positive correlation between VPI and LAP-VEGaS
scores (r = 0.497, p = 0.003).
Conclusion Overall, the quality of included videos was poor. OHNS residents should not rely
solely or primarily on YouTube videos to learn surgical skills relevant to ESS. To
maximize potential of online teaching, high-quality videos should be used to compliment
other methods of teaching.
Keywords
endoscopic sinus surgery - residents - surgical skills - education
