Novel surgical video-based education resource for surgical case preparation among medical students: results from a randomized controlled trial

Surgical video-based education (VBE) facilitates the understanding of surgical knowledge and technical skills and is an expanding field within surgical education. Medical students on their surgical clerkship may benefit from the use of resources focused on their needs to prepare for surgical cases. The primary objective of this study was to compare participants’ understanding of surgical content through multiple-choice (MC) and simulated intraoperative questions when using surgical video-based versus text-based education as preparation resources. Additional objectives included evaluating time spent on preparation and student perspectives on the use of surgical VBE.

Preclinical medical students were enrolled in a randomized controlled trial with cross-over. Each participant was randomly assigned a surgical video-based resource to prepare for a laparoscopic cholecystectomy or thyroidectomy surgical procedure, with a textbook resource allocated to the remaining procedure. After a 24-h preparation period, participants watched pre-recorded videos of both surgical procedures via proctored video conference. Multiple-choice assessments and simulated intraoperative questions assessed knowledge of surgical anatomy, complications, and clinical knowledge. Paired t tests were utilized to compare differences in study outcomes between arms.

Forty-nine participants were enrolled, of which 37 completed the study. Participants who received VBE as preparation for the surgical gallbladder topic had significantly higher post-intervention MC scores than those who received text-based resources (78% vs. 65% correct, p = 0.02). There was no significant difference in performance on the intraoperative questions between the VBE and text-based groups for either surgical procedure (p > 0.05). Surveys indicated a preference for VBE over text-based resources, including increased perceived helpfulness and preparedness, reduced anxiety, improved ability to follow surgical steps, and increased likelihood to recommend VBE to peers (all p < 0.001). VBE was perceived to be significantly more efficient (p < 0.0001), and participants spent significantly less time on VBE versus text-based preparation (35.3 min vs. 44.7 min, p = 0.004).

The surgical VBE resource used in this study improved medical student performance on assessments of surgical gallbladder disease compared to a text resource. The video-based resource required significantly less preparation time and was strongly preferred by student participants. Resources containing augmented videos appear more efficient and have promise to improve medical student preparation for the operating room.