Assessment of reliability and quality of YouTube videos as an information source in Retinopathy of Prematurity treatment

Abstract

To assess the reliability and quality of YouTube videos as an information source in Retinopathy of Prematurity (ROP) treatment. A YouTube search with the keyword “ROP treatment” was conducted. First 200 videos listed in the first 10 pages were evaluated. The upload sources, video length, days on YouTube, number of total views, likes, dislikes and comments were recorded. View ratio (VR), like ratio (LR) and video power index (VPI) were analyzed. Two ophthalmologists scored all videos using the DISCERN scoring system, Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) criteria, and Global Quality Score (GQS). Seventy-three videos were included in the study. The mean VR, LR, and VPI were 4.92±10.11, 83.88±33.98, and 4.55±9.25, respectively. The main upload sources were universities/non-profit professional organizations (36.99%) and physicians (31.51%). The 18 of the 55 videos on treatment procedures contained information on all treatment procedures, 37 videos contained information about at least one of treatment options. The mean DISCERN score, JAMA score and GQS were 42.32±17.51, 2.81±1.03, and 3.12±1.48, respectively. The category of all videos according to the mean DISCERN score was “fair”. The overall quality of YouTube videos on ROP treatment was intermediate. Although one third of videos were classified as good quality, most YouTube videos provided poor quality information. Competent authorities and experts should upload carefully recorded videos with reliable and quality content on YouTube to educate and increase the awareness of parents, especially in ROP requiring treatment.