Are YouTube videos a sufficient resource for informing patients in the treatment of rotator cuff tears?

Abstract

Background: The aim of this study was to evaluate the information quality of YouTube videos on rotator cuff tear treatment. 
 Material and Method: A YouTube search was performed using the keyword ‘rotator cuff tear’ to determine the first 100 most watched videos related to rotator cuff tears. A total of 57 videos met our inclusion criteria and were included in the study. Videos were evaluated for information quality by using DISCERN, the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), and rotator cuff informational assessment (RCIA) scores. Number of views, time since upload, view rate, number of likes, number of dislikes used to calculate the video power index (VPI) and these criteria were used to determine video popularity. Video length (sec), video source and video content were also evaluated and used for correlation evaluations. 
 Results: The mean DISCERN score was 33.81 (21-56), the mean JAMA score was 3.05 (1-4), and the mean RCIA score was 3.63 (0.5-7.5). Statistical analysis revealed that, independent of the video source and popularity, the videos were informationally poor and inadequate. The only significant correlation was between video length and data source. 
 Conclusion: This present study demonstrated that the quality of information provided by YouTube videos about rotator cuff tear treatment was poor. The generation of survey systems for informational videos and the provision of accurate and thorough informational videos by professional health organizations will be the best ways to inform patients.