The quality and reliability of YouTube and TikTok videos on epidural blood patch: A cross-sectional analysis

Epidural blood patch (EBP) is widely recognized as the definitive treatment for postdural puncture headache, a rare but debilitating complication of spinal anesthesia or unintentional dural puncture. However, the lack of sufficient research on available online content about EBP, especially on social media platforms such as YouTube and TikTok, raises concerns about its reliability. In this context, this study was conducted to evaluate the quality and reliability of YouTube and TikTok videos about EBP and to identify sources that provide high-quality and reliable information. The material of this cross-sectional, observational study consisted of videos about EBP uploaded to YouTube and TikTok. Two independent reviewers evaluated these videos for their reliability and quality using the DISCERN instrument, the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) benchmark, and the global quality scale. The median duration of the 72 videos included in the study material was 233 seconds. Of these videos, 77.8% were uploaded by patients. Only 13.9% of the videos were rated as high-quality based on DISCERN scores, and 81.9% were deemed insufficient by JAMA standards. The reliability and quality scores of the videos uploaded by doctors and healthcare channels were significantly higher than those uploaded by patients (P < .05). TikTok videos were significantly shorter and received significantly more likes than YouTube videos (P = .028). On the other hand, the overall quality of YouTube videos was significantly higher than TikTok videos (P < .05). Most YouTube and TikTok videos on EBP, especially those uploaded by patients, were of low quality and reliability. Videos uploaded by doctors and healthcare channels were typically more reliable than those uploaded by patients, highlighting the need for increased professional contributions to improve the quality of online health content.