Qualitative analysis of Parkinson's disease information on social media: the case of YouTube™

There is a paucity of data pertaining to the usefulness of information presented on social media platforms on chronic neuropsychiatric conditions such as Parkinson's disease (PD). The aim of this study was to examine the quality of YouTube™ videos that deliver general information on PD and the availability and design of instructional videos addressing the caregiving role in PD.

YouTube™ was searched using the keyword "Parkinson's disease" for relevant videos. Videos were assessed for usefulness and accuracy based on pre-defined criteria. Data on video characteristics including total viewership, duration, ratings, and source of videos were collated. Instructional PD videos that addressed the role of caregivers were examined closely for the design and scope of instructional content.

A total of 100 videos met the inclusion criteria. Just under a third of videos (28%) was uploaded by trusted academic organisations. Overall, 15% of PD videos were found to be somewhat useful and only 4% were assessed as providing very useful PD information; 3% of surveyed videos were misleading. The mean number of video views (regardless of video source) was not significantly different between the different video ratings (p = 0.86). Although personal videos trended towards being less useful than videos from academic organisations, this association was not statistically significant (p = 0.13).

To our knowledge, this is the first study to assess the usefulness of PD information on the largest video-sharing website, YouTube™. In general, the overall quality of information presented in the videos screened was mediocre. Viewership of accurate vs. misleading information was, however, very similar. Therefore, healthcare providers should direct PD patients and their families to the resources that provide reliable and accurate information.