Analysis of hygiene mistakes in medical training videos

Introduction

YouTube is a popular platform for accessing medical content, including educational videos on procedures like physical exams and blood sampling. These videos are widely watched, so it is important to check them for accurate adherence to standards. This study focused on assessing German-language videos for compliance with standard precautions for infection prevention.

Goals

The goals of this study were to assess the educational validity of the contents on this platform and whether their quality changed during and after the COVID-19 pandemic.

Materials & Methods

In November 2019, 130 German medical training videos were analyzed for hygiene errors. The search was repeated in January 2024, resulting in 61 additional videos for analysis. The search query included the German equivalent for physical examination (körperliche Untersuchung), intravenous line, placing venous access, peripheral venous catheter, and peripheral venous line (venöser Zugang, Zugang legen, Peripherer Venenkatheter, Venenverweilkanüle), along with four terms relating to blood sampling (Blutentnahme, Blutabnahme, Blut abnehmen, Blut entnehmen).

Results

Hygiene errors were evident in most videos from 2009 until 2019. Hand hygiene measures were rarely observed and instructions were missing. Moreover, wearing of jewelry was observed. In the more recent analyzed medical training content from 2020 until 2024, 48 of 61 of the videos displayed hygiene errors. This marks a very slight improvement in compliance with standard precautions during and after the pandemic.

Summary

The analysis of medical training videos revealed numerous hygiene errors, evident in content both from pre-pandemic times and after the advent of COVID-19. In this context, the COVID-19 pandemic did not have a significant impact on compliance with standard precautions within the observed time frame. Thus, there remains substantial room for improvement in adhering to standard precautions, with particular emphasis on the necessity of proper hand disinfection.