Qualitative Assessment of Medical Information on YouTube: A Multilingual Comparison of Common Urological Conditions

Abstract

<b><i>Introduction:</i></b> Patients nowadays often search video-sharing platforms for online patient education materials. Since previous assessments of urological videos were limited to English, we systematically assessed the quality of videos on treatment of benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), prostate cancer (PCa), and urinary stone disease (USD) in 4 different languages on YouTube using validated instruments. <b><i>Methods:</i></b> The search for videos on YouTube addressing treatment options of BPH, PCa, and USD was performed in October 2020 in ­English, French, German, and Italian. Assessed parameters included basic data (e.g., number of views), grade of misinformation, and reporting of conflicts of interest. Quality of content was analyzed using the validated DISCERN questionnaire. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics. <b><i>Results:</i></b> A total of 240 videos (60 videos in each language) were analyzed. Videos on USD in English had the highest number of views (median views 271,878 [65,313–2,513,007]). The median overall quality of videos assessed showed a <i>moderate</i> quality (2.5–3.4 points out of 5 points for DISCERN item 16). Median total DISCERN score of all videos divided by language showed very similar results: English (39.75 points), French (38 points), German (39.5 points), and Italian (39 points). Comparing the different diseases, videos about BPH showed the highest median scores, especially in German language (median score 43.25 points). <b><i>Conclusions:</i></b> Videos concerning the treatment of BPH, PCa, and USD have a low to moderate quality of content, with no differences seen between the languages assessed. These findings further support the notion of improved patient information materials on video platforms such as YouTube.

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YouTube videos in Japanese as a source of information on nocturnal enuresis: A content‐quality and reliability analysis

“…Recently, Pratsinis et al evaluated YouTube videos about urological problems in European languages (English, French, German, and Italian). 24 They reported that less than 30% of the videos included COI disclosure, and there appeared to be no difference in COI disclosure by different languages. Although perceptions about COI may differ between Japan and Europe, disclosure of relationships between the video presenter and manufacturers is important, especially as limited desmopressin and alarm devices are used in treatment for NE.…”

“…Recently, Pratsinis et al . evaluated YouTube videos about urological problems in European languages (English, French, German, and Italian) 24 . They reported that less than 30% of the videos included COI disclosure, and there appeared to be no difference in COI disclosure by different languages.…”

A Quality Assessment of Information Available on Renal Cancer on YouTube

“…There are evidence-based videos on YouTube that have been found to have highquality information when created or reviewed by a legitimate source [25]. However, many available videos and web-based sources have been shown to be of poor overall quality and to offer outdated advice that may detrimentally affect patient care and well-being [26][27][28]. At the same time, videos from high-quality sources such as universities and health care organisations are viewed less on social media and web-based browsers [29], further contributing to greater levels of misinformation accessible to patients and the public [30].…”