Quality and Reliability of Deep Venous Thrombosis-Related Videos on TikTok and Bilibili

Deep venous thrombosis (DVT) is a prevalent, life-threatening condition with inadequate public awareness. Social media platforms are significant sources of health information. However, they often suffer from variable content quality. This study systematically evaluated DVT-related videos on TikTok and Bilibili, which represent the dominant short-video and medium-to-long video platforms in China.

The top 150 DVT-related videos from each platform, TikTok and Bilibili, sorted by default, were retrieved and screened. The basic characteristics of the included videos, as well as the user engagement metrics, were recorded. The quality of the included videos was assessed using the Global Quality Scale (GQS), the modified DISCERN (mDISCERN) score, and the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) benchmark criteria.

TikTok videos had higher engagement (all P < 0.001) and shorter duration (median 88s vs 233.5s, P < 0.001). Quality-wise, except for a good GQS rating for Bilibili, quality scores across both platforms were generally moderate or poor. Specifically, Bilibili scored higher on GQS (median 4 vs 3, P < 0.001), while TikTok performed better on mDISCERN and JAMA (both P < 0.001). Furthermore, user engagement was negatively correlated with GQS scores but positively correlated with both mDISCERN and JAMA scores, revealing a potential mismatch between popularity and professional quality.

Despite high user engagement, DVT videos on both platforms demonstrate deficient informational quality and reliability, underscoring a significant gap in accessible public health education. Therefore, multi-stakeholder collaboration is imperative to enhance content standards and facilitate effective health dissemination.