P.081 Popularity of online multimedia educational resources in neurosurgery: Insights from The Neurosurgical Atlas project

Abstract

Background:The Neurosurgical Atlas is a neurosurgical website with informative chapters and videos to promote excellence and safety in neurosurgical techniques. Here, we present our analysis of this website’s viewing data and describe how online neurosurgical resources are being utilized. We hope this will be a useful guide for neurosurgeons interested in online multimedia education. Methods: We analyzed Google Analytics data from The Neurosurgical Atlas between June 2016 and August 2017 which tracked user demographics, geographical location, and the videos watched. Views were also analyzed categorically by dividing videos into six neurosurgical topics and into basic and advanced levels as per their surgical complexity. Results: There were 246,259 website visits and 143,868 video plays. The most frequent age groups were 25-34 (44%) and 35-44 (24%). 71% of visitors were male. Most visitors were from the US (29.52%) and Brazil (6.43%). Website visits and video plays increased over time, with multiple peaks corresponding to promotional email updates. The six neurosurgical topics were all similarly popular. Conclusions: Our study presents the first piece of evidence demonstrating the feasibility and popularity of a free online resource in neurosurgical education. Our experience highlights the growing demand for free-access online chapters, anatomical illustrations, and operative videos.