YouTube content on topical steroid withdrawal exhibits poor reliability, quality
Click Here to Manage Email Alerts
Key takeaways:
- Overall reliability scores showed the videos demonstrated “poor reliability and extensive shortcomings.”
- The most reliable videos were documentaries, followed by educational videos.
The top 10 most viewed YouTube videos about topical corticosteroid withdrawal reflect poor reliability and accuracy, according to a study.
“YouTube ... is increasingly used by patients as a source of health information,” Erika McCormick, BSc, of George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences, and colleagues wrote. “User-generated YouTube content does not undergo review to ensure information accuracy and is susceptible to bias.”
According to the authors, many patients undergoing topical corticosteroid withdrawal, an adverse response of erythema, scaling and pruritus following the discontinuation of chronic topical corticosteroid misuse, post about their experience on YouTube.
To evaluate the quality and reliability of the information spread by these users, McCormick and colleagues evaluated the top ten most-viewed YouTube videos about topical corticosteroid withdrawal. These videos were evaluated using the modified DISCERN tool, which measures the reliability of videos, and the Global Quality Scale (GQS), which measures the quality and scientific accuracy of videos.
The 10 videos included four patient testimonials, four educational videos and two documentaries. Three of the four patient testimonial videos included product promotions. Only one of the 10 videos was by a dermatologist.
Results showed that the average DISCERN score for all videos was 2 out of 5, which, according to the authors, indicates “poor reliability and extensive shortcomings.”
Similarly, the average GQS score was 2.5 out of 5, meaning the videos demonstrated generally poor quality and flow and lacked discussion of important topics, resulting in a video that is of limited use to patients.
DISCERN scores for documentary videos (4.5; P = .0086) and educational videos (2.875; P = .049) showed these two types of content were statistically significantly more reliable compared with patient testimonials, which had a DISCERN score of 0.75 and tended to include incomplete information that was not considered useful, according to the researchers.
“There is a wide viewership of YouTube videos, therefore, the information presented in videos on [topical corticosteroid withdrawal] has significant potential to influence patient knowledge and behavior,” McCormick and colleagues wrote.
“Dermatologists should provide alternative evidence-based resources about [topical corticosteroid withdrawal] to patients, both in practice and in the online space including YouTube,” the authors concluded.