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Popularity versus quality in TikTok educational videos on congenital nasolacrimal duct obstruction
Manhui Zhu1, Wenqun Xi2, Lin Xu2
1Department of Ophthalmology, Lixiang Eye Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou, Jiangsu, China.
Insights
Quality pediatric eye health information on TikTok varies greatly. Videos from medical professionals and non-profits are more reliable for congenital nasolacrimal duct obstruction, but not always more popular.
Area of Science:
- Ophthalmology
- Pediatric Ophthalmology
- Health Informatics
Background:
- Congenital nasolacrimal duct obstruction (CNLDO) is a common infant condition.
- Prompt treatment is crucial to prevent complications like dacryocystitis.
- Short-video platforms are increasingly used by parents for health information.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the quality of TikTok videos on CNLDO.
- To assess the association between video quality and uploader type.
- To determine the relationship between video quality and user engagement.
Main Methods:
- Cross-sectional review of 108 TikTok videos on CNLDO.
- Videos classified by uploader type (medical professionals, non-profits, etc.).
- Quality assessed using DISCERN, Global Quality Score, and PEMAT-AV by ophthalmologists.
Main Results:
- Videos from non-profits and medical professionals scored significantly higher in quality, understandability, and actionability.
- No significant correlation found between overall quality scores and user engagement (likes, shares, etc.).
- Video duration showed weak correlations with some quality indicators.
Conclusions:
- TikTok video quality on CNLDO is highly variable and depends on the uploader.
- Medical professionals and non-profits create superior educational content.
- Platforms should promote verified pediatric eye-health information, and clinicians should guide parents to reliable sources.
Background:
Congenital nasolacrimal duct obstruction is a common ocular condition in early infancy and may lead to neonatal dacryocystitis or severe infection if not treated promptly. Short-video platforms such as TikTok are used by young parents to obtain health information, but the quality of related videos remains unclear. This study evaluated the quality of TikTok videos on congenital nasolacrimal duct obstruction and its association with uploader type and user engagement.
Methods:
We conducted a cross-sectional review of TikTok videos retrieved with predefined keywords. We included 108 videos, classified by uploader type, and extracted characteristics, engagement metrics, and coverage of six content domains. Two attending ophthalmologists independently rated each video using DISCERN, the Global Quality Score, and the Patient Education Materials Assessment Tool for Audiovisual Materials. Group differences and Spearman correlations were analyzed.
Results:
Among 108 videos, 62 (57.4%) were uploaded by medical professionals and 18 (16.7%) by non-Profit organizations, with a median duration of 48.5 s and median numbers of likes, comments, favorites and shares of 68, 8, 13, and 24, respectively. Videos uploaded by non-Profit organizations and medical professionals achieved substantially higher DISCERN scores (about 59.22 and 50.00 vs. 37.50 and 19.40), Global Quality Scores (median 4.5 and 4.0 vs. 3.0 and 1.0), and Patient Education Materials Assessment Tool for Audiovisual Materials understandability (median 92.31 and 84.62% vs. 73.08 and 53.85%) and actionability (both 75.00% vs. 66.67 and 50.00%) than those uploaded by non-Medical individuals and for-profit organizations (all P < 0.001). Spearman analysis found no significant correlations between overall quality scores and engagement, but duration correlated weakly with some selected quality indicators (r = 0.17-0.21, P < 0.05).
Conclusion:
TikTok videos on congenital nasolacrimal duct obstruction show marked heterogeneity in content completeness and educational quality, largely determined by uploader type. Non-Profit organizations and medical professionals produce more reliable, understandable, and actionable videos, but these are not consistently more popular than lower-quality content. Clinicians and institutions should develop guideline-concordant short videos and direct parents toward trustworthy channels, while platforms consider mechanisms to highlight professionally verified pediatric eye-health information.
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