The Reliability and Viewer Interest of YouTube® Videos Presenting Endoscopic Ear Procedures

ABS TRACT Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the reliability and viewer interests of YouTube ® endoscopic ear surgery videos based on the LAP ‑ VEGaS video quality assessment tool. Material and Methods: The present study evaluated 720 videos after a search on YouTube® with the keywords “endoscopic tympanoplasty, endoscopic ear surgery, endoscopic myringoplasty, and endoscopic mastoidectomy” during the time period between October 2005 to June 2020. The parameters depicting viewer interest such as the total number of views, comments, subscribers, likes, dislikes, source of videos, and video up- load date were assessed. Besides, LAP ‑ VEGaS video quality assessment tool were also analyzed. Results: Among 720 videos that were compatible with the keywords of the study, only 201 (27%) of them were in agreement with the inclusion criteria. Low-quality videos com- prised 164 (81.5%) videos, and high-quality videos consisted of 37 (18.5%) videos. The video rates presented by universities were higher in the high-quality video group than the low-quality video group (29.7% vs. 9.1%). Considering the didactic voice and the presence of didactic steps, it was significantly higher in the high-quality video group compared to the low-quality video group (86.5% vs. 22.6%, p<0.001; 97.3% vs. 85.4%, p: 0.04, respectively). The higher image quality was observed in the high-quality group compared to the low-quality qual- ity group (81.1% vs. 27.4%, p<0.001). Conclusion: Overall, only 18.5% of YouTube ® videos were defined as high-quality videos. The videos classified in the high-quality group were presented by university hospitals, with better didactic information and voice.