Prevalence, effectiveness, and usefulness of using YouTube among medical students in clinical years /physical examination

Abstract

Abstract Introduction: A recent study aimed to investigate the usefulness of YouTube as an educational resource for medical students studying physical examination in Jordanian universities. The questionnaire aimed to determine the prevalence, effectiveness, and usefulness of YouTube in learning physical examination and to identify which medical topics were studied more through YouTube. Methods The study used a Google Forms questionnaire to survey 413 medical students in their 4th, 5th, and 6th clinical years. Results The study found that the majority (91%) of the students used YouTube as a learning tool, and most (96.4%) found it useful in their studies. Nearly all students (93.7%) reported learning additional information they did not previously have access to. Most students (88.4%) used YouTube to learn physical examination, and a vast majority (90.1%) found it useful for practicing before OSCE exams. Almost 80% of the students who used YouTube received higher marks in OSCE exams. Furthermore, the study also found that YouTube usage varied among students, with the majority using it in their 4th year. The two medical topics that students found most useful in YouTube videos were internal medicine and general surgery, with 82.8% and 69.5% of students finding them useful, respectively. Conclusion the study suggests that YouTube is a valuable educational tool for medical students studying physical examination and medical topics in Jordanian universities. The study recommends that educators encourage students to use YouTube and create updated physical examination videos and general clinical themes to supplement medical education.