YouTube as a patient-information source for hypothyroidism.

Area of Science:

• Endocrinology
• Health Communication
• Digital Health

Background:

• Hypothyroidism is a prevalent endocrine disorder necessitating lifelong management.
• Patients increasingly rely on online platforms like YouTube for health information.
• The quality and accuracy of online health content require critical evaluation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the quality of YouTube videos discussing hypothyroidism.
• To investigate the relationship between video quality and popularity.

Main Methods:

• A systematic search yielded 96 YouTube videos using terms like "hypothyroidism" and "Hashimoto's disease."
• Video quality was evaluated using the DISCERN criteria.
• Video popularity was quantified using the Video Power Index (VPI).

Main Results:

• The average DISCERN score indicated poor video quality across all assessed content.
• A significant number of videos (68) achieved high VPI scores, signifying popularity.
• Popular videos with misleading information demonstrated higher average popularity scores than the overall mean.

Conclusions:

• YouTube videos concerning hypothyroidism generally exhibit low quality, often lacking cited sources and containing incomplete or misleading information.
• Physicians should recognize that patients may access and be influenced by low-quality, popular online health resources.
• Awareness of these factors is crucial for healthcare providers to effectively guide patients and counteract misinformation.