Evaluation of the Reliability and Quality of Information in Carpal Tunnel Syndrome Shared on YouTube

Comparison of Educational and Academic Quality of Laparoscopic Distal Pancreatectomy Videos on WebSurg® and YouTube® Platforms

BACKGROUND

The aim of this study was to compare the educational and academic quality of laparoscopic distal pancreatectomy (LDP) videos on YouTube® and WebSurg® platforms.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

YouTube and WebSurg platforms were searched with the keyword "laparoscopic distal pancreatectomy". According to the exclusion criteria, 12 videos were found on WebSurg. To ensure a 1:1 ratio, the first 12 videos that met the criteria on YouTube were also analyzed. Journal of American Medical Association (JAMA) benchmark criteria were used to evaluate the reliability of the videos. The non-educational quality of the videos was calculated using the Global Quality Score (GQS), the educational and academic quality of videos was calculated using Laparoscopic Distal Pancreatectomy-specific score (LDP-SS) and Laparoscopic Surgery Video Educational Guidelines scoring system (LAP-VEGaS).

RESULTS

The mean JAMA score was 1.58 on YouTube and 2.83 on WebSurg (P < .001). The median GQS was 2 on YouTube and 5 on WebSurg (P < .001). The median LAP-VEGaS score was 8 on YouTube and 14.5 on WebSurg (P < .001). The median LDP-SS score was 6 on YouTube and 9.5 on WebSurg (P = .001). According to the LAP-VEGaS, eleven (91.7%) of the WebSurg videos had a high score of 11 or more (P = .04). According to Spearman correlation analysis, there was a statistically significant positive correlation between LDP-SS and JAMA, GQS and LAP-VEGaS (r: .589, P = .002; r: .648, P = .001; r: .848, P < .001 respectively).

CONCLUSIONS

The WebSurg is superior to the YouTube in terms of educational and academic value, quality, accuracy, reliability and usability in scientific meetings for LDP videos.

Patient-Directed Online Education for Carpal Tunnel Syndrome and Release: Analysis of What Patients Ask and Quality of Resources

Purpose

This study classifies common questions searched by patients from the Google search engine and categorizes the types and quality of online education resources used by patients regarding carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) and carpal tunnel release (CTR).

Methods

Google's results were extracted and compiled using the "People also ask" function for frequent questions and associated web pages for CTS and CTR. Questions were categorized using Rothwell's classification with further topic subcategorization. Web pages were evaluated by using Journal of the American Medical Association Benchmark Criteria for source quality.

Results

Of the 600 questions evaluated, "How do I know if I have carpal tunnel or tendonitis?" and "What causes carpal tunnel to flare up?" were the most commonly investigated questions for CTS. For CTR, frequent questions investigated included "How long after hand surgery can I drive" and "How do you wipe after carpal tunnel surgery." The most common questions for CTS by Rothwell classification were policy (51%), fact (41%), and value (8%) with the highest subcategories being indications/management (46%) and technical details (27%). For CTR, the most common questions entailed fact (54%), policy (34%), and value (11%) with the highest subcategories as technical details (31%) and indications/management (26%). The most common web pages were academic and medical practice. The mean Journal of the American Medical Association score for all 600 web pages was 1.43, with journals (mean = 3.91) having the highest score and legal (mean = 0.52) and single surgeon practice websites (mean = 0.28) having the lowest scores.

Conclusions

Patients frequently inquire online about etiology, precipitating factors, diagnostic criteria, and activity restrictions regarding CTS/CTR. Overall, the quality of online resources for this topic was poor, especially from single surgeon practices and legal websites.

Clinical relevance

Understanding the type and quality of information patients are accessing assists physicians in tailoring counseling to patient concerns and facilitates informed decision-making regarding CTS/CTR as well as guiding patients to high-quality online searches.

Assessment of the reliability of YouTube™ videos about zirconia crowns in pediatric dentistry

PURPOSE

To evaluate the reliability of YouTube™ videos on zirconia crowns in pediatric dentistry.

METHODS

On January 4, 2022, a search was performed using the term "pediatric zirconia crown". The first 100 videos on the subject were included. Non-English videos, duplicates, and off-topic videos were excluded. For each video, an examiner recorded the number of views, likes, comments, channel followers, upload date, duration, and category rating. Two examiners assessed the reliability of the information presented in the videos using DISCERN, a brief questionnaire and scale score used to assess in a valid and reliable way the quality of information on treatment choices for health problems. Descriptive and inferential analyses were performed (p < 0.05).

RESULTS

Of the initial 100 videos, 72 were excluded because of language, duplication, and subject matter. The 28 remaining videos had an average of 3.5 comments, 8,896.18 channel followers, 5,614.00 views, 19.14 likes, and a duration of 840.32 s. The average view rate was 7.54 per day ± 10,206.81. There was a statistically significant difference between the number of views and comments (p < 0.001), likes and comments (p < 0.001), and likes and views (p = 0.006). According to the DISCERN, none of the videos received the maximum grade to be considered very good. Two were considered good, nine fair, fourteen poor, and three very poor.

CONCLUSION

Given that the majority of YouTube™ videos currently available on zirconia crowns in pediatric dentistry were deemed unreliable according to the DISCERN questionnaire, caution should be exercised when using the information presented.