Evaluating the Reliability of YouTube as a Source of Information for Meniscal Ramp Lesions

Riccardo D'Ambrosi; Alessandro Annibaldi; Alessandro Carrozzo; Thais Dutra Vieira; Jae-Sung An; Benjamin Freychet; Bertrand Sonnery-Cottet

doi:10.1177/23259671231219815

Evaluating the Reliability of YouTube as a Source of Information for Meniscal Ramp Lesions

Orthop J Sports Med. 2024 Jan 3;12(1):23259671231219815. doi: 10.1177/23259671231219815. eCollection 2024 Jan.

Authors

Riccardo D'Ambrosi^{1

2}, Alessandro Annibaldi³, Alessandro Carrozzo³, Thais Dutra Vieira⁴, Jae-Sung An⁴, Benjamin Freychet⁴, Bertrand Sonnery-Cottet⁴

Affiliations

¹ IRCCS Ospedale Galeazzi-Sant'Ambrogio, Milan, Italy.
² Dipartimento di Scienze Biomediche per la Salute, Università degli Studi di Milano, Milan, Italy.
³ Orthopaedic Unit, Sant'Andrea Hospital, University of Rome La Sapienza, Rome, Italy.
⁴ Centre Orthopédique Santy, FIFA Medical Center of Excellence, Hopital Mermoz, Groupe Ramsay, Lyon, France.

Abstract

Background: Videos uploaded to YouTube do not go through a review process, and therefore, videos related to medial meniscal ramp lesions may have little educational value.

Purpose: To assess the educational quality of YouTube videos regarding ramp lesions of the meniscus.

Study design: Cross-sectional study.

Methods: A standard search was performed on the YouTube website using the following terms: "ramp lesion" and "posterior meniscal detachment" and "ramp" and "meniscocapsular" and "meniscotibial detachment," and the top 100 videos based on the number of views were included for analysis. The video duration, publication data, and number of likes and views were retrieved, and the videos were categorized based on video source (health professionals, orthopaedic company, private user), the type of information (anatomy, biomechanics, clinical examination, overview, radiologic, surgical technique), and video content (education, patient support, patient experience/testimony).The content analysis of the information on the videos was evaluated with the use of the DISCERN instrument (score range, 16-80), the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) benchmark criteria (score range, 0-4), and the Global Quality Score (GQS; score range, 1-5).

Results: A total of 74 videos were included. Of these videos, 70 (94.6%) were published by health professionals, while the remaining 4 (5.4%) were published by orthopaedic companies. Most of the videos were about surgical technique (n = 36; 48.6%) and all had an educational aim (n = 74; 100%). The mean length of the videos was 10.35 ± 17.65 minutes, and the mean online period was 18.64 ± 13.85 months. The mean DISCERN score, JAMA benchmark score, and GQS were 31.84 ± 17.14 (range, 16-72), 1.65 ± 0.87 (range, 1-4), and 2.04 ± 1.21 (range, 1-5), respectively. Videos that reported an overview about ramp lesions were the best in terms of quality for DISCERN and JAMA benchmark score, while biomechanics videos were the best according to GQS. The worst category of videos was about surgical technique, with all having lower scores.

Conclusion: The educational content of YouTube regarding medial meniscal ramp lesions showed low quality and validity based on DISCERN score, JAMA benchmark score, and GQS.

Keywords: YouTube; knee; meniscotibial detachment; meniscus; ramp.