An Evaluation of Quality, Reliability, and Accuracy of Vocal Health Content on TikTok

Abstract

Social media plays an ever-growing part in modern life and is a frequent source of health information for patients. Singers are particularly likely to receive health information solely from fellow musicians and may experience barriers to seeking vocal healthcare. However, there have been no studies to date evaluating vocal health information on social media. Our study aimed to assess the quality, reliability, and accuracy of vocal health content on TikTok. Cross-sectional analysis. Three searches were carried out on Tiktok, using the terms "vocal health," "vocal injury," and "voice tips." The top 50 videos in each category were cataloged for extraction of data and for analysis on three discrete scales. Two independent reviewers rated each video using the Global Quality Scale (GQS), modified DISCERN scale, and Accuracy in Digital-health Instrument (ANDI). After the removal of duplicates and unavailable content, 146 videos were analyzed. The mean (range) length was 59.8seconds (5-239), and number of views per video was 886,265 (432-36,700,000). The vast majority of videos (94.5%) were created by non-clinicians; only two videos (1.37%) were posted by otolaryngologists. The mean (SD) GQS score was 2.34 (0.75) out of a maximum of five, the DISCERN score was 0.97 (0.56) out of five, and the ANDI score was 2.85 (0.87) out of four. Video length was positively correlated with GQS and DISCERN scores, but views, likes, and shares were either not associated or negatively associated with GQS, DISCERN, and ANDI. Most videos were of low quality and reliability and moderate accuracy. Measures of popularity were either uncorrelated or negatively correlated with quality, reliability, and accuracy, suggesting that TikTok users are more likely to engage with lower-quality content online. This implies a potential role for vocal health professionals to fill a crucial gap with reliable information on social media.