An analysis of research trends in articles on video usage in medical education

Using technology in medical education has drawn the attention of researchers in the last several years. Especially, videos have been found to promote effective learning in medical education. This study aims to examine general trends and results of articles investigating video usage in medical education and published in SSCI and ERIC journals from 2000 to 2014. For this purpose, the researchers systematically read and analyzed 43 relevant articles. Descriptive content analysis methodology was applied to examine the trends of studies on video usage in medical education. Researchers used a publishing classification form to categorize characteristics of the articles during content analyses. The results showed that the number of articles published about video usage in medical education particularly increased from 2009 to 2011. Instructional environments were the most common topic, the most frequently used video type was a case video, and the samples were mostly medical students. Quantitative methodology and analysis were employed regularly, and the most preferred data collection tool was a questionnaire. The reviewed articles suggested many benefits to using videos, such as enabling cognitive learning and gaining clinical skills. In conclusion, many studies have been published on video usage in medical education, and their general consensus is that video usage increases learning. Findings direct future studies on the subject.