Quality and Reliability of YouTube Videos on Surgical Treatment of Uterine Leiomyomas

Introduction To determine the quality of English language YouTube videos on uterine leiomyomas (UL) and their surgical treatment. Methods The present study was performed from October 1 to October 8, 2021. A gynecologist with 10 years of experience searched for keywords on YouTube, including ‘UL surgery’, ‘laparoscopic myomectomy,’ ‘myomectomy,’ ‘surgical treatments for UL,’ and ‘operations for UL.’ Videos were categorized into three groups according to content as informative videos, personal experience videos, and news update videos. All videos characteristics, including the number of views, the length and duration of the video, number of ‘likes,’ ‘dislikes,’ and ‘comments,’ were recorded. Medical information and content index (MICI) score, DISCERN score, and Global Quality Score (GQS) were calculated for each video. Results In total, 54 videos were categorized as informative videos, 46 videos were classified as patient experience videos, and 37 videos were accepted as news agency videos. The mean comment numbers were 105.6 for patient experience videos, and the difference was statistically different in favor of patient experience videos (p= 0.001). The GQS and DISCERN scores were significantly higher for the informative group in comparison with the other two groups (p=0.001 and p=0.001 for both groups). Clinical symptoms and treatment outcomes were the most frequently mentioned content in informative videos (81.8% and 97.1%). The mean MICI score was 2.7. Conclusion The present study demonstrated that YouTube videos about UL and its surgical treatments have low quality and utility. However, informative videos that are mostly uploaded by professional health providers have significantly better DISCERN and GQS scores.