Quality and Reliability Analysis of YouTube Videos on Magnetic Resonance Imaging Claustrophobia

Aim Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)-induced anxiety is not infrequent with a reported incidence as high as 37% and the rate of failed MRI imaging due to claustrophobia ranges between 0.5% and 14.5%. The objective of this study was to evaluate the quality and reliability of YouTube(TM) videos on MRI claustrophobia. Methods Sixty-five videos were included in the final analysis. Video information analyzed included video length (minutes), video content, qualification of the video uploaders, time of upload, time since upload, the number of total views and the mean daily views, and like counts. We divided the videos according to the uploaders into professional and non-professional groups and further grouped the videos as useful and misleading. Data obtained from the videos were evaluated with three tools including subjective evaluation, Quality Criteria for Consumer Health Information (DISCERN), and Global Quality Scale (GQS) tools. Results The mean video duration was found as 4.14±4.45 minutes. The mean view count was 104.59±408,788.68 and the mean like count was found as 272.55±1096.25. Seventeen (26.15%) videos were uploaded by professionals and 48 (73.85%) by non-professionals. Twenty-eight (43.08%) of the videos were useful and 37 (56.92%) were useless. The mean DISCERN and GQS scores were statistically significantly higher in the professional videos compared to the non-professional videos and in useful videos compared to non-useful videos (for all, p<0.001). Conclusion A majority of the YouTube(TM) videos concerning MRI claustrophobia were uploaded by non-professionals. Physicians and other healthcare personnel should be encouraged to provide useful and accurate videos and to direct patients appropriately.