Use of YouTube as a Resource for Surgical Education-Clarity or Confusion.

CONTEXT

The use of video in surgical education and training is an innovative means to teach and expose learners to surgical procedures. The accessibility of YouTube provides a favourable platform for educational content; however, the current lack of peer review may mean that content is lacking or inaccurate.

OBJECTIVE

We reviewed articles that examined the quality of videos describing surgical procedures, and especially those found on the sharing platform "YouTube". In particular, studies investigating videos for their benefit to surgical trainees were included.

EVIDENCE ACQUISITION

A literature review was performed to determine the educational quality of surgical videos found on YouTube.

EVIDENCE SYNTHESIS

Articles were included, which reviewed the quality of videos describing surgical procedures, their accuracy, and their utility for surgical trainees to complement traditional surgical education.

CONCLUSIONS

The studies reviewed suggested that there is a lack of comprehensive material currently found on YouTube across multiple surgical disciplines. However, the popularity of YouTube among surgical trainees suggests that it is in the interest of surgical colleges and surgical educators to participate in sharing videos on this platform.

PATIENT SUMMARY

YouTube videos are inevitably used as supplementary tools in surgical education. To harness the popularity and accessibility of YouTube for educational purposes, a peer-reviewed YouTube video library may be necessary.