Content, educational value and quality analysis of videos about neurorehabilitation in people with multiple sclerosis on YouTube®

The use of YouTube® has spread among patients with chronic diseases such as multiple sclerosis (MS). These patients consult the available videos to learn more about their disease in terms of diagnosis and making decisions about treatments, including rehabilitation. The aim of this study was to evaluate the content, educational value, and quality analysis of MS videos about neurorehabilitation on YouTube® using quantitative instruments.

A search was conducted on YouTube®. The first 30 videos that met the inclusion criteria were reviewed. The videos were classified according to the upload source and the content. All videos included in the review were assessed by the DISCERN questionnaire, the JAMA benchmark, the global quality scale (GQS) and the video information and quality index (VIQI).

The mean scores were: 28.3 (±9.33) in DISCERN, 2 (±0.81) in JAMA, 2.57 (±1.22) in GQS, and 11.73 (±4.06) in VIQI. JAMA score statistically significantly differed according to upload source (p = 0.002), video content (p = 0.023) and the speaker (p = 0.002). The DISCERN, JAMA, GQS, and VIQI scores showed significant correlations with each other.

The analyzed videos about neurorehabilitation in people with MS on YouTube® were quite old since the upload, with a moderate duration and number of views, but with a poor quality of the content, educational value, and quality analysis of the videos. Our research showed that there were statistically significant differences in terms of quality, transparency, and reliability of the information, depending on the upload source, video content and the speaker.