New Media for Educating Urology Residents: An Interview Study in Canada and Germany

Does a Video-Based and 3D Animation Hybrid Learning System Improve Teaching Outcomes in Orthopedic Surgery? A Randomized Controlled Trial

OBJECTIVE

This study aims to evaluate the instructional efficacy of a 3D Surgical Training System (3DSTS), which combines real surgical footage with high-definition 3D animations, against conventional surgical videos and textbooks in the context of orthopedic proximal humerus fracture surgeries.

DESIGN

Before the experiment, 89 participants completed a pre-educational knowledge assessment. They were then randomized into 3 groups: the 3DSTS group (n = 30), the surgical video (SV) group (n = 29), and the textbook group (n = 30). After their respective teaching courses, all participants took a posteducational assessment and completed a perceived cognitive load test. The 3DSTS group also filled out a satisfaction survey. Once all assessments were finished, the SV and textbook groups were introduced to the 3DSTS course and subsequently completed a satisfaction survey. All statistical analyses were executed using IBM SPSS version 24 (IBM Corp., Armonk, NY). For data fitting normal distribution, we employed one-way analysis of variance (one-way ANOVA) and Tukey HSD tests, whereas, for non-normally distributed data, we used Kruskal-Wallis H tests and Dunn's tests. The significance level for all tests was set at p < 0.05.

SETTING

Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei Province, P. R. China.

PARTICIPANTS

About 89 doctors who undergoing standardized residents training.

RESULT

The initial assessment scores among the three groups were comparable, showing no significant statistical difference. Post-education revealed a marked difference in the scores, with the 3DSTS group outperforming both the SV and textbook groups. Specifically, the 3DSTS group exhibited statistically greater improvement in areas such as procedural steps, and specialized surgical techniques compared to the SV and textbook groups. During the 3DSTS teaching process, participants reported the least perceived cognitive load and expressed strong satisfaction, highlighting that the instructional materials are well-prepared, and considering this teaching method superior and more innovative than previous courses they had encountered.

CONCLUSION

The 3D Surgical Training System, integrating real videos with 3D animations, significantly enhances orthopedic surgery education over conventional methods, providing improved comprehension, lower cognitive load, and standardized learning outcomes. Its efficacy and high participant satisfaction underscore its potential for broader adoption in surgical disciplines. This study is registered with ClinicalTrials. gov ID: ChiCTR2300074730.

[Evaluation of the GeSRU-Steps educational video concept (German Society of Residents in Urology e. V.)]

BACKGROUND

Surgical educational videos represent a contemporary, multimedia supplement to surgical education and training. The German Society of Residents in Urology e. V. (GeSRU) developed an educational video platform (steps.GeSRU.de) with free, quality-assured educational videos for urologists, especially for residents.

OBJECTIVES

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the GeSRU Steps teaching videos.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Prospectively, 29 GeSRU Steps training videos were made available (03/2019-05/2023) via amboss.com, and an online questionnaire was inserted following the videos. This comprised 12 items on medical, technical, and didactic quality, usefulness for own knowledge acquisition, and sociodemographic data of respondents. Aspects of video quality were assessed with the Acceptability E‑scale and the Global Quality Score.

RESULTS

During the survey period, the GeSRU Steps videos implemented on the amboss.com website were viewed 49,698 times. A total of 474 questionnaires were answered (rate 0.25%). The collective of respondents consisted of 419 (88%) students, 47 (10%) physicians in training, and 5 (1%) specialists; 351 (74%) were female, 107 (23%) were male, and 4 (1%) were diverse. Each educational video was rated a median of 10 times (range 5-65). The six questions of the Acceptability E‑scale and the Global Quality Score were rated good and very good (81.6-95.8%), respectively.

CONCLUSIONS

GeSRU teaching videos achieved a very good rating with high user satisfaction. By specific promotion of these teaching videos, which are quality-assured through supervision, the portfolio of surgical videos available at a low threshold can be expanded and can serve as a contemporary education tool.

The Impact on Urology Residents' Learning of Social Media and Web Technologies after the Pandemic: A Step Forward through the Sharing of Knowledge

The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted urology residents and their training. However, several new technologies or knowledge platforms as social media (SoMe) and web-based learning solutions have filled this gap. Therefore, we aimed to analyze resident's learning curves of new learning modalities, identify the evidence that is provided in the literature, and evaluate the possible impact of such solutions in the future. We conducted a non-systematic literature search using Medline, PubMed, and Embase. In addition, online resources of national and international urology resident societies were queried. The identified paper described SoMe, webinars, podcasts, pre-recorded surgical videos, educational platforms, and mobile apps in the field of urology that are used to gain access to information, teach and provide feedback to residents, and were used under the conditions of the pandemic. The application of those technologies harbors the risk of mis- and disinformation, but have the potential to provide access to education and validated knowledge, training, and feedback and thereby might democratize training of residents in urology globally.

Current status of urological training and differences between institutions

OBJECTIVES

Appropriate training of urology residents is important to secure not only high-quality patient care, but also the bright future of our specialty. We aimed to investigate residency training from the perspective of qualification and standardization and to evaluate surgical education, publication output, working conditions, future plans, and overall satisfaction, in a comprehensive way.

METHODS

We conducted a survey of urology chief residents/recent graduates in Turkey to identify differences between institutions and deficiencies in urology resident training. A total of 155 chief residents/recently graduated specialists were contacted by phone and a survey was completed.

RESULTS

The survey response rate was 96.1%. Respondents had high proficiency in endourology (97.3%), similar to Canada and European countries. However, they reported a lack of proficiency in laparoscopy (28.9%) and functional urology (26.2%). Also, no one had completed a robotic procedure as first surgeon. A total of 75.2% respondents had no first author publication, and 10.1% had no first author abstract presentation. There was no significant difference between institution types with or without certification. There was a satisfaction rate of 87.2% among participants.

CONCLUSIONS

It was observed that qualified and standardized training could has not been achieved and the positive effects of certification have not been seen yet. There is a lack of modernization in all aspects of education, and there is no standardized curriculum addressing academic research. Therefore, there is a risk that future urologists will have insufficient skills. We hope this study serves as a guide for modernization and standardization in urology training.

CASE-based and Guidelines-based Lectures are the Most Preferred Form of Online Webinar Education: Results from the Urology Collaborative Online Video Didactics Series (COViD)

Objective To evaluate the most preferred style of online didactic lectures. The COVID-19 pandemic has had a significant impact on surgical resident education, instigating a major shift towards online webinar didactics as a major of resident teaching. We hypothesize that a case-based format of online didactics are the most preferred format for this style of lecture. Study Design We analyzed viewer evaluations following 82 online hour-long lectures in the Urology Collaborative Online Video Didactics Lecture Series. We categorized each lecture as case-based, guidelines-based, practice updates, or surgical technique-based and assessed viewer responses to survey questions regarding subject area relevance, lecturer knowledgeability, lecturer effectiveness, and usefulness to learning. We performed logistic regression to control for viewer level, instructor level, and lecture topic, and using surgical technique-based lectures as the baseline variable. Results 2176 evaluations were analyzed. Case-based, guidelines-based and practice updates were all scored significantly higher than surgical technique for subject area relevance. Case-based and guideline-based lectures scored significantly higher for usefulness to learning. Case-based lectures scored significantly higher for lecturer effectiveness. There was no significant difference in scoring between any lecture style when rated on lecturer knowledgeability. Conclusion When preparing online webinar based didactics for surgical resident education, case-based lecturers appear to be the most preferred and well received lecture style, followed closely by guidelines-based lectures. Practice updates and surgical technique-based lectures are less preferred formats for this teaching modality.

Assessment of the Educational Value of Distal Hypospadias Repair Videos on YouTube

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the quality of YouTube videos depicting distal hypospadias repair.

METHODS

The search terms "distal hypospadias repair" were used to identify surgical videos on YouTube. Videos were sorted by view count and the top 34 videos were reviewed for baseline video characteristics, key surgical steps covered, and conformity to a modified LAParoscopic surgery Video Educational GuidelineS (LAP-VEGaS) checklist. All videos were reviewed and discussed for conformity by 2 attending pediatric urologists and a urology resident.

RESULTS

Of the 34 videos reviewed, 16 videos were excluded due to content. The median length of videos was 9.94 minutes (range, 2.57-99.12 minutes). Video quality was deemed of high quality in only 39% of videos. The most common type of hypospadias procedures described were tubularized incised plate urethroplasty (n = 13) and meatal advancement and glanuloplasty incorporated (n = 2). The median view count was 7828.5 (range, 1,133-58,619 views). Only 1 video met all modified LAP-VEGaS criteria (range of 33%-100%), and only 2 videos showed every surgical step of distal hypospadias repair (range 33%-100%). Modified LAP-VEGaS score, surgical step score, or quality of the video was not associated with a higher view count.

CONCLUSION

Despite being a common procedure, there is a paucity of high-quality videos on YouTube describing distal hypospadias repair techniques. It is unclear how learners select videos for study purposes and the most utilized videos on YouTube are not the most educational videos.

How to Use Social Media in Urologic Practice

Social media has become increasingly important in urologic practice. This consultation guide provides a framework for urologists who want to increase their presence on social media and maximize its benefits.

Use of social media for surgical education in Australia and New Zealand

BACKGROUND

Social media are an increasingly important tool for educators, although their use for surgical education in Australia and New Zealand (ANZ) has not been quantified. This study aimed to determine the social media presence of surgical training institutions in ANZ, quantify the proportion of their social media content that is educational, compare engagement between educational and non-educational content, and determine perspectives on using social media for education.

METHODS

An online search was conducted in October 2018 to determine the social media presence of surgical training institutions accredited to deliver under- and post-graduate surgical education in ANZ. All their posts on Facebook and Twitter from November 2017 to October 2018 were categorized as educational or non-educational. Engagement on Twitter was analysed using retweets. An online survey was distributed to each institution to investigate their social media strategy and opinions on the use of social media for surgical education.

RESULTS

Seven out of 37 (19%) surgical training institutions had active social media accounts. Educational content accounted for 677/4615 (14.7%) of their posts. Educational content was retweeted more often than non-educational content (17.2 versus 5.4, P = 0.002). Seven out of 37 (19%) institutions responded to the survey, with one respondent having a policy for and utilising social media for surgical education.

CONCLUSIONS

Social media are being used by a minority of surgical training institutions for educational purposes in ANZ. Social media content is primarily non-educational although educational posts attract more engagement. Further research is required to assess the efficacy of surgical education on social media.

[Interdisciplinary education in urology: innovations for better training]

The current version of the urology training program will concentrate on the mediation of competences and skills in various fields of action for outpatient urology instead of persisting on the minimum and reference numbers of surgical and diagnostic procedures. However, the following fields of action must be fulfilled: microbiology, andrology and systemic cancer therapy. There is justifiable concern that various institutions will lose their permission for a complete 5‑year residency program based on the above-mentioned demands since not all institutions have all subspecialties in urology. Those institutions need to define new ways of residency training such as interdisciplinary programs within their own institution between disciplines like pediatric surgery, gynecology and medical oncology. Other options are combined training programs between regional urology departments with different main focuses or training programs between institutions and urologists in private practice. There is an unmet need to improve residency training as well as board examinations by new structures and a reliable curriculum. Based on the changed main focuses of the new version of urology training, we need to discuss the future of residency programs. It might be helpful to discuss two different types of urology training with a common trunk for the first three years followed by a more outpatient-based residency training for the general urologist and a more specialized training for the inpatient urologist to be educated in complex treatment modalities. An open mind to broadening our own horizon, respectful discussion with other departments and the development of common, reliable and interdisciplinary contents represent indispensable prerequisites to realize such an innovative future training program.

Mapping the landscape of urology: A new media-based cross-sectional analysis of public versus academic interest

OBJECTIVES

To quantify public and academic interest in the urological field using a novel new media-based methodology.

METHODS

We systematically measured public and academic interest in 56 urological keywords and combined in nine subspecialties. Public interest was quantified as video views on YouTube. Academic interest was quantified as article citations using Microsoft Academic Search. The public-to-academic interest ratio was calculated for a comparison of subspecialties as well as for diseases and treatments.

RESULTS

For the selected 56 urological keywords, we found 226 617 591 video views on YouTube and 2 146 287 citations in the academic literature. The public-to-academic interest ratio was highest for the subspecialties robotic urology (ratio 6.3) and andrological urology (ratio 4.6). Prostate cancer was the central urological disease combining both a high public (20% of all video views) and academic interest (26% of all citations, ratio 0.8). Further diseases/treatments of high public interest were premature ejaculation (ratio 54.4), testicular cancer (ratio 11.4), erectile dysfunction (ratio 5.5) and kidney transplant (ratio 3.7). Urological treatments had a higher public-to-academic interest ratio (median ratio 0.25) than diseases (median ratio 0.05; P = 0.029).

CONCLUSIONS

A quantification of academic and public interest in the urological field is feasible using a novel new media-based methodology. We found several mismatches in public versus academic interest in urological diseases and treatments, which has implications for research strategies, conference planning and patient information projects. Regular re-assessments of the public and academic interest landscape can contribute to detecting and proving trends in the field of urology.

Social media use in German visceral surgeons: a cross-sectional study of a national cohort

AIM

Engagement in social media is increasing. Medical professionals have been adapting LinkedIn, a professional networking site, and Twitter, a microblogging service, for a number of uses. This development has been described for a number of medical specialties, but there remains a paucity of European data. A study was undertaken to measure the engagement and activity of German visceral surgeons on social media platforms.

METHOD

Visceral surgeons were identified from 15 regional Associations of Statutory Health Insurance Physicians (Kassenärztliche Vereinigungen) opt-in registers. A manual search was subsequently performed across key professional social media platforms. The presence of a profile and key markers of use were recorded.

RESULTS

In total, 575 visceral surgeons were identified. 523 (93%) were men. 183 (31%) surgeons engaged in professional social media. 22 (3.8%) used Twitter, producing a mean of 16.43 tweets with a mean of 7.57 followers. 137 (24%) surgeons had a profile on LinkedIn with a mean of 46.36 connections. Female surgeons were less connected on LinkedIn (P < 0.005). 60 (10%) used Xing, with a mean of 27.95 connections. There were no significant differences in use of social media between surgeons from Eastern and Western Germany (P = 0.262) or male and female surgeons (P = 0.399).

CONCLUSIONS

German visceral surgeons are less engaged and less active on social media than previously examined cohorts. Loco-regional, cultural, demographic and regulatory matters may have a significant influence on uptake. If this surgical cohort wishes to have a wider international presence then education on the potential benefits of these tools may be needed.

Influence of social media technologies on organizational performance through knowledge and innovation

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to show how social media technologies (SMT) make the firm proficient to act on business opportunities and reconfigure business resources by encouraging networks to routinize the firm’s knowledge and innovation competencies.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper analyzes data obtained from a sample of 201 technological firms located in Spain. Structural equation modeling with Lisrel is used to test the hypotheses.

Findings

This paper contributes to the literature by reflecting empirically in a structural model how SMT drive technological knowledge competencies to improve organizational performance directly and indirectly by leveraging processes of innovation capability in the firm.

Research limitations/implications

The study has some limitations, among them transversal analysis of different constructs. The number of relationships analyzed is limited, as is the literature focuses on a digital vision from a social media point of view.

Practical implications

Some implications for managers emerge. SMT both enable an emergent participatory culture through ubiquitous digital devices and social networks and balance constant connectivity afforded by digital devices.

Originality/value

Drawing on complexity science, the authors develop a conceptual framework to explain how social media, as emergent IS phenomena, help firms to create business value, leveraging network effects and knowledge flows, and increasing innovative capability.