Accepted for/Published in: Journal of Medical Internet Research
Date Submitted: Oct 13, 2020
Date Accepted: Jun 14, 2021
Content analysis and evaluation of quality of cesarean section-related videos on YouTube: A Cross-Sectional study
ABSTRACT
Background:
Globally, YouTube is one of the most popular websites, and the content is also utilized to obtain health information. Cesarean section is the most common major surgical intervention in many countries. Although videos related to cesarean section were uploaded on YouTube, none has explored cesarean section videos' overall presence on the platform.
Objective:
The objective of this study was to assess the content and quality of the most-viewed videos accessible on YouTube that relate to the cesarean section.
Methods:
A search was performed using the terms “cesarean section” and “cesarean delivery” on YouTube, and the videos were sorted by “view count.” The number of views, duration, likes and dislikes, content type, primary intention, and source of the video were noted. Three professional obstetricians independently scored the videos based on an arbitrary scoring system according to the video quality assessment criteria. To assess the popularity of videos, we divided the number of “thumbs up” it received, by the number of views.
Results:
The top 66 videos on cesarean section had a total of 153,848,103 (median [range], 16,986,790 [8,589,209-22,666,954]) views. The most common sources of the videos were paramedics (24 [36.4%]). Videos about the surgical technique, general explanation about cesarean section, personal experiences, and postpartum care were uploaded in similar numbers. In all, 16 (24.2%) videos were evaluated as “good,” 29 (43.9%) as “moderate,” and 21 (31.8%) as “poor.” The median quality score of videos uploaded by the medics was significantly higher than those by the non-medics. However, the median popularity score of videos uploaded by the medics (academics and physicians) was significantly lower than that of the videos by non-medics (patients, commercial, and paramedical groups).
Conclusions:
YouTube is currently not an appropriate source for patients seeking information about cesarean section. Physicians should be aware of the limitations and provide up-to-date and peer-reviewed content on the website.
Citation
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