Abstract
Objective: Acquiring online health-related information has become increasingly widespread. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the quality of the most-viewed YouTube videos on dysphagia regarding exercises and compensated maneuvers. Method: We searched for the keywords “dysphagia exercise”, “dysphagia rehabilitation”, “dysphagia maneuver”, “dysphagia therapy”, and “dysphagia compensation” on YouTube on 5 February 2021. The educational quality of videos on YouTube was investigated based on the Global Quality Scale (GQS) and categorized into three groups: high-, intermediate-, and low-quality. The modified DISCERN tool was used to evaluate the reliability of the YouTube videos. Video parameters were compared between the groups according to the quality of the videos. Results: Of the 51 videos evaluated, according to the GQS, 54.9% (n = 28) were of high-quality, 35.3% (n = 18) were of intermediate-quality, and 9.8% (n = 5) were of low-quality, respectively. When the video parameters were compared among the groups, there were no significant differences in the number of views, likes, dislikes, or comments per day (p > 0.05). However, there was a significant difference in the DISCERN scores between the groups (p < 0.001). Conclusion: YouTube can be deemed as a predominant source for high-quality videos on dysphagia exercise and compensated maneuvers. However, YouTube should be accepted as a mixed pool, with high-, intermediate-, and low-quality videos. Therefore, healthcare professionals, such as physicians and therapists, should verify the suitability and quality of the video, and suggest it to the patient, to ensure that the patient obtains the appropriate information.
Highlights
Dysphagia can be caused by various diseases or problems, including neurological impairment, and physiological and anatomical disorders in any part from the mouth to the esophagus [1,2,3,4]
70.0% (n = 14) of the YouTube videos were made by universities/professional organizations/associations, 57.1% (n = 8) of the YouTube videos were made by a therapist, 50.0%
(n = 2) of the YouTube videos were made by physicians or physiatrists, 50.0% (n =1) of the videos were made by non-physician health personnel, and 30.0% (n = 3) of the videos were made by a health-related website (Table 2)
Summary
Dysphagia can be caused by various diseases or problems, including neurological impairment, and physiological and anatomical disorders in any part from the mouth to the esophagus [1,2,3,4]. To treat or improve symptoms of dysphagia, various methods have been reported. Acquiring health information using the Internet has become increasingly common. It was reported that nearly half of adults in the United States (US) obtain health-related information by using the Internet [11]. Because of its free video content and extensive nature, YouTube can be judged as an effective tool for obtaining and spreading healthrelated information. It can be used as an effective tool for educating patients
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