Surgical Preparation by Urology Trainees in 2021: The Interplay of Video and Print Resources

We investigate urology trainee preparation for surgical procedures by querying type and degree of video sources used and combination with traditional print materials for preparation of surgical procedures.

An Institutional Review Board-approved 13-question REDCap® survey was distributed to 145 American College of Graduate Medical Education-accredited urology residency programs. Social media were also used to recruit participants. Results were collected anonymously and analyzed using Excel®.

A total of 108 residents completed the survey. The majority (87%) reported using videos for surgical preparation including, YouTube (93%), American Urological Association (AUA) Core Curriculum videos (84%) and institutional or attending-specific videos (46%). Video selection was based on quality (81%), length (58%) and the site of video creation (37%). Video preparation was reported predominantly for minimally invasive surgery (95%), subspecialty procedures (81%) and open procedures (75%). The most common print sources reported include Hinman's Atlas of Urologic Surgery (90%), Campbell-Walsh-Wein Urology (75%) and the AUA Core Curriculum (70%). When asked to rank their overall top 3 sources, 25% of residents reported YouTube as their primary source and 58% included it in their top 3. Only 24% of residents reported being aware of the AUA YouTube channel, while 77% were aware of the video section of the AUA Core Curriculum.

Urology residents use video resources to prepare for surgical cases, with a heavy reliance on YouTube. AUA-curated video sources should be highlighted in the resident curriculum as the quality and educational content of YouTube videos are variable.