The evaluation of surgical content in laparoscopic radical hysterectomy videos on YouTube

Objective

This study aimed to evaluate the quality of surgical content in laparoscopic radical hysterectomy (LRH) videos on YouTube.

Study Design

On February 20, 2024, a search was conducted on YouTube using the keyword “laparoscopic radical hysterectomy,” filtering videos with durations over 20 min and sorting by relevance. Two experienced gynecologists assessed the first 250 videos retrieved to determine if they illustrated anatomical landmarks and surgical procedures in a standardized step-by-step manner.

Results

Forty videos met the inclusion criteria for analysis. Sixty percent (24 out of 40) of these videos presented the complete list of predetermined surgical steps. According to the LAP-VEGaS assessment tool, only 32.5 % (13 out of 40) of the videos achieved a total score of 11 or higher, and 12.5 % (5 out of 40) scored 12 or higher. Videos with a LAP-VEGaS score of 11 or above had a statistically higher number of views per day (4.64 [IQR: 10.47]) compared to those with a lower score (1.48 [IQR: 3.40], p = 0.019). Additionally, videos featuring a didactic voice were significantly more popular, with higher views per day compared to those with music or no audio (8.66 [IQR: 32.75] vs. 1.69 [IQR: 3.12], p = 0.001).

Conclusion

The majority of LRH videos on YouTube lacked comprehensive surgical content and received low LAP-VEGaS scores. Videos with a didactic voice and higher LAP-VEGaS scores tended to attract more viewers.