YouTube as a source of patient education in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis: a media content analysis

Purpose: Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a common cause of pulmonary fibrosis, with millions of individuals affected in the world. Patients may use multiple resources to educate themselves regarding their illness, including popular social media video hosting site YouTube. We set out to determine the quality of patient education material discussing IPF available on YouTube. Methods: 100 consecutive videos were surveyed for review, of which 59 were included in the final analysis. Three independent blinded reviewers were assigned to score each video on a scoring system designed along patient education material available publicly at the American Thoracic Society and the American College of Chest Physicians. Scores by each reviewer were compared to others using means, standard deviation, Cohen’s Kappa, and intra-class reliability. Results: Video content had a mean score of 5.9, SD 3.96 out of a maximum of 20 points. Cohen’s Kappa between the three raters was calculated to a value of 0.92 and Interclass reliability was 0.79 (0.70–0.86, 95% CI) indicating appropriateness of comparison between the three raters. Conclusion: Patient education material regarding IPF on YouTube was found deficient in quantity and quality. Providers should be aware of the best information resources available and utilize these to educate their patients.