Accepted for/Published in: Journal of Medical Internet Research
Date Submitted: May 9, 2022
Open Peer Review Period: May 8, 2022 - Jul 3, 2022
Date Accepted: Aug 30, 2022
(closed for review but you can still tweet)
Takotsubo syndrome on TikTok: An analysis of information quality and audience engagement
ABSTRACT
Background:
The incidence of Takotsubo syndrome (TTS), also known as broken heart syndrome or stress cardiomyopathy, has been increasing. The understanding of its prognosis has been progressively evolving and currently appears to be poorer than previously thought which has attracted the attention of researchers. An attempt to recognize the awareness of this condition amongst the general population drove us to analyze the dissemination of this topic on the popular platform, TikTok. We found a considerable number of videos regarding TTS on TikTok, however, the quality of the presented information remains largely unknown.
Objective:
To analyze the quality and audience engagement of TTS-related videos on TikTok.
Methods:
Videos on the TikTok platform were explored to identify those regarding TTS by using six Chinese keywords that represented “Takotsubo syndrome” on August 2, 2021. A total of 2,549 videos were found, out of which 80 met our inclusion criteria and were evaluated for their characteristics, content, quality, and reliability. The quality and reliability were rated using the DISCERN instrument and JAMA criteria, by two reviewers independently and a score was assigned. Descriptive statistics were generated and the Kruskal-Wallis test was used for statistical analysis.
Results:
The scores assigned to the selected video content were found to be low with regard to the diagnosis (0.66/2) and management (0.34/2) of TTS. The evaluated videos were found to have an average score of 36.93 out of 80 on the DISCERN instrument, and 1.51 out of 4 per the JAMA criteria. None of the evaluated videos met all JAMA criteria. The quality of relayed information varied by source (All p< .05). TTS-related videos made by professionals accounted for 27.5% of all evaluated videos and had the highest DISCERN scores with an average of 40.59 out of 80.
Conclusions:
The quality of patient education videos regarding TTS on TikTok is poor. Patients should be cautious when obtaining health-related information through TikTok. The formulation of a measure for video quality review is necessary especially when the purpose of the published content is to educate and increase awareness of a health-related topic.
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