Medicine as a field goes through a lot of transformation every year. This time, the focus seems to be on the increasing adoption of virtual lecture tools like videos. In this dynamic landscape, videos are currently being used as essential tools for learning and professional advancement.

This change is driven by technological progress and the demands of recent global events.

So, it is not merely a temporary adjustment. Instead, it is a window into the future of medical learning.

Source: https://unsplash.com/photos/gray-surgical-scissors-near-doctors-in-operating-room-iwzaTMpBD7Q Photographer: Piron Guillaume ttps://unsplash.com/@gpiron

Videos in medical practice: A closer look

The move towards virtual learning in surgery has been both swift and expansive. Traditionally, surgical training has depended on direct experience and face-to-face instruction. However, this came with a lot of limitations.

Lots of these inadequacies were revealed when the COVID-19 pandemic hit. This, coupled with the need for social distancing, fueled the rapid adoption of videos as an alternative learning option.

However, to be fair, the decision to watch surgery lecture videos isn’t actually new as far as medicine is concerned. Medical practitioners have been employing YouTube’s vast video resources to gain clarification for quite some time now. According to a particular study, the number of prostate cancer medical videos jumped from just 500 to an astonishing 20,000.

Dr. Justin Barad, a UCLA-trained surgeon, said, “All the surgeons I know have come across unexpected problems at some point in their practice. During these times, they had to switch to YouTube to try to understand what they were facing.” He also admitted that, severally, he’s had to resort to opening YouTube videos sometimes while still in the operating room.

The reason for the increasing adoption

There is little doubt that the introduction of advanced video technology is heralding a new chapter in medical training. Yet the question of what the driving force behind this massive adoption remains largely unanswered.

According to some doctors, the driving force behind it is a thirst for more knowledge. According to the University of Iowa, more medical practitioners are switching to including online videos in their preparations. These videos give them an idea of what to expect during the actual procedure. For others, it’s all about filling in the blanks in their understanding and training of different concepts. For example, an unfamiliar medical practitioner could opt to look for videos on how to use an ultrasound machine.

Misleading content and the need for regulation

Although online videos are a boon to the medical community, there is the problem of misleading content. In a particular survey, some researchers discovered that there are currently over 68,000 videos on distal radial fracture immobilization. However, after evaluating these videos, only 16 could be considered acceptable (at the barest minimum).

In addition to this, lots of these medical videos uploaded online usually provide no information about the qualifications of the “tutor.” This has made it quite challenging for surgeons to sort out what information is coming from actual experts.

Expert-vetting and dedicated YouTube alternatives

YouTube is designed in such a way that practically anyone can upload content. This makes it challenging to regulate the quality of “surgical training videos” being released. However, there are several ways to achieve this. For Dr. Joshua Landy, a Canadian practitioner, an excellent solution would be to employ experts to bet videos before they are uploaded.

According to him, this vetting process has to be done by leaders in the surgical space. He said, “You’d need to be experienced to distinguish between the surgeries done properly and the technique used is the most up-to-date and safe.”

Another alternative would be to promote a separate video learning platform where surgeons can get access to videos addressing their needs. For these platforms, proper identification and documentation of credentials would be mandatory before video uploads can be approved. This will create an environment where medical practitioners can be sure they’re accessing the correct information.

Conclusion

Medicine and surgery have come quite some way in terms of advancement. The introduction of video learning platforms promises to take that advancement even further. This innovative learning solution isn’t perfect yet, but it does offer a lot with respect to learning ease and convenience.