Evaluating TikTok and YouTube as patient-education resources on kidney transplantation: a comparative analysis

This study evaluated and compared the quality and educational value of kidney transplantation-related videos on TikTok and YouTube.

A structured search identified 151 eligible videos. Each video was assessed using DISCERN, PEMAT-A/V (understandability and actionability), and the Global Quality Scale (GQS). Content completeness was examined across six key educational domains. Correlation analyses were conducted to determine associations between video characteristics and quality metrics.

Physicians were the primary uploaders on both platforms (YouTube 55.7%, TikTok 46.0%). Overall quality was low: 69.4% of TikTok and 62.8% of YouTube videos were rated "poor" or "very poor." Only 2.3% of YouTube videos achieved an "excellent" rating, and none on TikTok. TikTok showed much higher engagement (mean 13,639 likes and 2,664 comments per video) than YouTube (1,480 likes and 51 comments), yet engagement and duration were not correlated with quality on TikTok (p > 0.5). In contrast, YouTube video duration was positively associated with DISCERN and GQS scores (r = 0.478-0.584, p < 0.001). Content completeness was limited on both platforms, particularly for evaluation and long-term outcomes, and TikTok demonstrated significantly lower scores across all domains. Significant between-platform differences were observed in DISCERN (p < 0.001), GQS (p = 0.001), PEMAT understandability (p = 0.002), and content completeness (p < 0.01).

TikTok and YouTube provide suboptimal educational content on kidney transplantation, with TikTok performing notably worse. Greater involvement of medical institutions and improved platform mechanisms to elevate high-quality, evidence-based content are urgently needed to enhance online patient education.