YouTube is a poor source of patient information for knee arthroplasty and knee osteoarthritis

BACKGROUND: The objective of this study was to assess the educational quality of YouTube videos pertaining to total knee arthroplasty and knee osteoarthritis. METHODS: A systematic search for the terms “knee replacement” and “knee arthritis” was performed using YouTube's search function. Data from the 60 most relevant videos were collected for each search term. Quality assessment checklists with a scale of 0 to 10 points were developed to evaluate the video content. Videos were grouped into poor quality (grade 0-3), acceptable quality (grade 4-7), and excellent quality (grade 8-10), respectively. RESULTS: Overall, 106 videos were categorized. For videos regarding total knee arthroplasty (n = 50), 64% of videos were of poor educational quality (32/50), 28% were of acceptable quality (14/50), and 8% were of good educational quality (4/50). Common missing information included discussion of surgical complications and implant duration. For videos regarding knee arthritis (n = 56), 66% of videos were of poor educational quality (37/56), 32% were of acceptable quality (18/56), and 2% were of good educational quality. Common missing information were causes and risk factors for knee arthritis and long-term prognosis. CONCLUSIONS: The present study suggests that YouTube is a poor educational source for patients regarding knee arthroplasty and knee arthritis. Recognizing the limitations of YouTube as well as which topics are not commonly presented may better guide physicians to educate their patients.