ABSTRACT
Objective YouTube (YouTube LLC, San Bruno, California, United States), one of the most accessed sites on the internet, has become a widespread source of healthcare information for patients. Videos about coronary artery bypass grafts (CABG) have accrued tens of millions of views on the platform, yet their educational quality is unknown. This study investigates the educational landscape of videos regarding CABG procedures on YouTube. Methods YouTube was queried for "Coronary Artery Bypass Graft Surgery" and "Coronary Artery Bypass Graft Procedure". After applying exclusion criteria, 73 videos were assessed. Two independent reviewers rated the material with the Global Quality Scale (GQS) (5 = high quality, 0 = low quality) to judge educational value. A ratio of view count to days since upload was applied to assess video popularity. Source, modality, and date of upload were recorded for each video as well. Results An average GQS score of 2.94 was found, indicating poor educational quality of the 73 YouTube videos on CABG procedures. Videos uploaded by physicians (56/73; 76.7%) had a significantly higher average GQS score than those uploaded by non-physicians (p<0.001). When content was grouped by delivery method, physician-led presentations (24/73 or 32.9%) produced the highest average GQS score of 3.35; conversely, patient-friendly delivery methods (18/73 or 24.7%) yielded the lowest average GQS score of 2.36 (p<0.001). Neither the view ratio nor the days since upload significantly correlated with the educational quality of the video. Conclusion Although CABG videos are readily available on YouTube, they often contain considerable biases and misleading information. With online sources for healthcare education now commonplace, physicians must be aware of the vast quantities of low-quality videos patients often encounter when weighing different treatment options. Further analysis of CABG videos on YouTube may allow physicians to ameliorate this gap by producing videos that are not only high quality but highly viewed on the platform.
ABSTRACT
Objective YouTube (YouTube LLC, San Bruno, California, United States) is used as a primary resource for many patients looking to gain healthcare knowledge. Recently, YouTube made efforts to increase the quality of posted content by accrediting trusted healthcare sources. With an increasing emphasis being placed on minimally invasive options, this study was done to investigate the quality of YouTube videos on MitraClip™ (Abbott Laboratories, Chicago, Illinois, United States) with respect to patient education. Methods YouTube was searched using the keyword "MitraClip". A total of 66 videos were evaluated, with 32 of those videos being included for final analysis after applying exclusionary criteria. Three independent reviewers separately scored the videos using the Global Quality Scale. Likes, dislikes, views, comments, and dates of upload were also recorded. Two-tailed t-tests were used to determine statistical significance. Results MitraClip videos on YouTube proved to be of medium quality, receiving an average Global Quality Scale score of 3.39. When stratified by the new YouTube accreditation process, those with accreditation had a significantly higher Global Quality Scale score of 4.11, while non-accredited videos had an average Global Quality Scale score of 3.12 (p<0.01). Shorter and more patient-friendly videos were also significantly lower in quality (p<0.05). Conclusion The YouTube accreditation process has demonstrated initial success at regulating the quality of MitraClip content, thereby reducing the spread of misinformation. However, this progress is undermined by the lack of unique videos present on the platform. Increasing the amount of original content about MitraClip may allow viewers to diversify their educational sources and ultimately gain a better understanding of the procedure.
