The concern about the educational quality of online videos on laparoscopic myomectomy

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to analyze the surgical content of the 50 most-viewed laparoscopic myomectomy videos on YouTube while evaluating the educational quality and accuracy of the videos. METHODS: In this cross-sectional study, the keyword “laparoscopic myomectomy” was searched in publicly available content on YouTube, and the videos were sorted by view count using YouTube's advanced search options. Out of the first 66 videos, only 50 were eligible according to our selection criteria. One associate professor of gynecology and one gynecology resident watched these videos independently and evaluated the quality and surgical aspects. Our primary outcome was the scores of the Quality Criteria for Consumer Health Information and Global Quality Score and the features of the surgical technique. RESULTS: The 50 most-viewed laparoscopic myomectomy videos were uploaded between 2010 and 2021. They had a mean of 66636.6±103772.2 views. According to the Quality Criteria for Consumer Health Information criteria, 78% of the videos were categorized as “poor,” 12% of them were “fair,” and 10% of them were “very poor.” The indication of the surgery was not specified in 27 (54%) of them. The surgeons in 39 (79.6%) of the videos did not use any containment system for the power morcellation, even though it was restricted by the United States Food and Drug Administration. The preoperative and perioperative precautions to minimize blood loss were underemphasized. There was no scientific evidence in 49 (98%) of the videos. CONCLUSION: Laparoscopic myomectomy videos on YouTube are limited in terms of providing evidence-based and well-organized scientific knowledge.