Assessment of YouTube as an educational tool in teaching flexible nasendoscopy and peritonsillar abscess drainage

Abstract

Background Partly as a result of coronavirus disease 2019, YouTube has become a more frequent educational source for otolaryngology trainees. This study sought to assess the quality of flexible nasendoscopy and peritonsillar abscess drainage videos. Method YouTube was systematically searched using 13 terms related to flexible nasendoscopy and peritonsillar abscess drainage. Two independent reviewers assessed the quality of each video using the Laparoscopic Video Educational Guidelines. Results Twenty-seven videos were deemed suitable. The mean total Laparoscopic Video Educational Guidelines scores for videos on flexible nasendoscopy (18 videos) and peritonsillar abscess drainage (9 videos) were 10.3 (standard deviation = 3.1) and 11.7 (standard deviation = 4.6), respectively. Most of the videos were deemed of medium quality. The Laparoscopic Video Educational Guidelines score correlated positively with flexible nasendoscopy video length and how recently a peritonsillar abscess drainage video had been uploaded. Conclusion The limited high-quality videos on YouTube are difficult to identify from the search metrics available. Trainees and ENT induction programmes would benefit greatly from an online platform that contains a catalogue of high-quality surgical videos.