Assessment of Transoral Robotic Surgery (TORS) Content on YouTube

Online video hosting websites such as YouTube have been increasingly used by medical institutions to spread information about new and exciting topics. However, due to the large number of videos uploaded daily and the lack of peer review, few attempts have been made to assess the quantity and quality of information that is uploaded on YouTube. For this study, our team assessed the available content on the transoral robotic surgery (TORS) procedure.

A qualitative case study model was employed. Videos related to TORS were collected using a unified search protocol. Each video was then analyzed, and metrics of the following data points were collected: views, likes, comments, upload date, length of video, author type, author, and region of origin. Each dataset was analyzed by two distinct authors, and interrater reliability was calculated. Quantitative and qualitative statistics were curated.

A total of 124 videos were analyzed for this review. The breakdown of videos was as follows: 15.32% (19) in the educational for patients category, 16.94% (21) in the educational for trainees category, 30.65% (38) in the procedural overview category, 8.87% (11) in the patient experience (PE) category, 10.48% (13) in the promotional category, 12.10% (15) in the other category, and 5.65% (7) in the irrelevant (IR) category. The total number of views across all videos analyzed was 2,589,561. The total number of likes was 14,827, and the total number of comments was 2,606. The average video length was 8.63 minutes. The most viewed category was the PE category at 1,014,738 and the most liked at 1,714. The least viewed category was IR at 21,082. The PE category had the most engagement based on combined comments and likes. The most watched video, with 774,916 views, was in the PE category under the "TORS for Thyroidectomy" search term and was titled "Thyroid Surgery (Thyroidectomy)."

As the prevalence of online videos regarding medical devices, procedures, and treatments increases, patients and trainees alike will look toward resources such as YouTube to augment their understanding. Patients, providers, and medical education platforms should take heed of the promise and pitfalls of medical content on YouTube.