Point: Rethinking live surgical broadcasts

Introduction The authors maintain that live surgical broadcasts (LSBs) are unnecessary, risky, and ethically dubious. According to both preliminary data and common-sense ethics, LSBs should be avoided and—where there is pedagogical value—replaced with pre-recorded case demonstrations. At the core of medical pedagogy is observation. As the adage goes: see one, do one, teach one. From the budding medical student rotating throughout the hospital to the veteran surgeon demonstrating a cutting-edge procedure to a resident, observation is both widespread and effective. We espouse no doubt about the efficacy or legitimacy of observation as a teaching method writ large. However, many medical conferences misemploy observational pedagogy by broadcasting live cases to rooms of hundreds of attendants. These LSBs typically showcase recently developed techniques or devices and are often sponsored by medical device companies. As medicine adapts to rapid technological advancement, LSBs are becoming increasingly common at professional conferences. However, that...
Source: Journal of NeuroInterventional Surgery - Category: Neurosurgery Authors: Tags: Commentary Source Type: research