Quality and Reliability of YouTube Videos on Uterine Fibroid Embolization

Bishoy Gad; Srinidhi Shanmugasundaram; Abhishek Kumar; Pratik Shukla

doi:10.1016/j.jacr.2022.03.014

Quality and Reliability of YouTube Videos on Uterine Fibroid Embolization

J Am Coll Radiol. 2022 Jul;19(7):905-912. doi: 10.1016/j.jacr.2022.03.014. Epub 2022 Apr 27.

Authors

Bishoy Gad¹, Srinidhi Shanmugasundaram², Abhishek Kumar³, Pratik Shukla⁴

Affiliations

¹ Medical Student, Department of Radiology, Division of Vascular and Interventional Radiology, Rutgers-New Jersey Medical School, Newark, New Jersey.
² Medical Student, Department of Radiology, Division of Vascular and Interventional Radiology, Rutgers-New Jersey Medical School, Newark, New Jersey; and Scholarship Committee Chair, ACR.
³ Associate Professor, Division Chief of Vascular and Interventional Radiology, Rutgers-New Jersey Medical School, Newark, New Jersey.
⁴ Radiology Site Director, Director of IR Quality Assurance, and Assistant Professor, Department of Radiology, Division of Vascular and Interventional Radiology, Rutgers-New Jersey Medical School, Newark, New Jersey. Electronic address: pshukla@njms.rutgers.edu.

PMID: 35487248
DOI: 10.1016/j.jacr.2022.03.014

Abstract

Purpose: To evaluate the quality of information available in YouTube videos on the treatment of uterine fibroids.

Materials and methods: The DISCERN Scale Criterion was used to quantify the quality of YouTube videos on uterine fibroid embolization. The Video Power Index was used to quantify the popularity of videos on uterine fibroid embolization.

Results: Among the 31 videos identified in the study, the average total DISCERN score was 48.82 ± 14.48, indicative of average to poor quality. There was no correlation between a video's popularity and its quality. Popularity, as measured by Video Power Index, was not significantly different between videos containing a board-certified physician and those that did not. Videos with a board-certified interventional radiologist had a significantly lower Video Power Index than those without a board-certified physician.

Conclusion: YouTube is not currently a high-quality source of information for uterine fibroid treatment options. Physicians should be aware of highly viewed material on YouTube to have informed discussions with patients about their treatment options and address misperceptions.

Keywords: DISCERN; YouTube; patient education; uterine fibroid embolization (UFE); video quality.

MeSH terms

Embolization, Therapeutic*
Humans
Information Dissemination
Leiomyoma* / diagnostic imaging
Leiomyoma* / therapy
Reproducibility of Results
Social Media*
Video Recording