JMIR Publications

ABSTRACT

Background:

Video clips have become increasingly common in electronic case report publications, yet trends and educational implications of their utilization remain largely unexplored.

Objective:

This study aims to examine trends and associations between video clip use and other imaging modalities in case reports across three medical disciplines—general internal medicine (GM), emergency medicine (EM), and critical care medicine (CCM)—from 2019 to 2023.

Methods:

We searched top ten journals in the specialties of GM, EM, and CCM, selecting journals with articles in image-based case reports. Imaging modalities were grouped into 12 categories. Correlations between imaging modalities and video clip use were assessed, and temporal trends were evaluated using the Cochran–Armitage test.

Results:

We analyzed a total of 2705 case reports (774 in GM, 1096 in EM, and 835 in CCM). Photographs were more common in GM (32.6%) compared with 8.1% in CCM and 13.3% in EM. CT was the leading imaging modality in CCM, representing 28.6% of all images and 62.3% of cases. Ultrasound utilization was most prevalent in EM (23.8%), significantly greater compared with those in CCM (11.7%) and GM (3.7%) (P < 0.001). Among 2,705 image-based case reports, a strong correlation was observed between video clips and ultrasonography (γ=0.69, p=0.016), with an increase in this correlation from 0.36 in 2019 to 0.89 in 2023 (P for trend = 0.0829). Video clip utilization was 13.3% and increased progressively in EM but not in GM or CCM.

Conclusions:

Video clip use was strongly associated with ultrasonography and increased over time. This trend suggests a growing alignment between dynamic imaging content and multimedia presentation, potentially improving the communication and interpretation of dynamic diagnostic information in clinical practice.