Performance, Comprehensiveness, Reliability, and Quality Evaluation of Youtube Videos on Electroconvulsive Therapy

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Digital Health Communication

Background:

• Patients and relatives increasingly use online platforms like YouTube for health information.
• Electroconvulsive Therapy (ECT) is a critical psychiatric treatment, but public understanding may be limited.
• The quality and reliability of online health information can vary significantly.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the performance, comprehensiveness, reliability, and quality of Turkish YouTube videos about ECT.
• To assess the suitability of YouTube as a source of information on Electroconvulsive Therapy.

Main Methods:

• A descriptive study design was employed.
• Searched Turkish keywords related to ECT on YouTube on September 15, 2023.
• Examined the first 30 videos for each keyword (total 90 videos), assessing comprehensiveness, reliability (using DISCERN), and quality (using Global Quality Scale).

Main Results:

• Analyzed 27 videos with an average of 546,881 views.
• Average scores: comprehensiveness (4.8/3.0), reliability (3.1/2.2), and quality (2.6/1.5).
• 55.6% provided good information, but only 33.3% were high quality. Comprehensiveness, reliability, and quality showed a significant positive correlation (P=0.000).

Conclusions:

• Online resources like YouTube are frequently consulted for unfamiliar medical topics, including ECT.
• Content creators should prioritize comprehensive, reliable, and high-quality information on ECT.
• Ensuring accuracy and quality in digital health content is crucial for patient and public understanding.