Assessing the Reliability and Quality of Kidney Transplantation Information on Short-Video Sharing Platforms: A Cross-sectional Analysis

The rise of digital media has increased public use of social platforms for health information. While short-form videos hold potential for disseminating knowledge on kidney transplantation, their variable quality is a major concern. This study aimed to analyze the content and quality of kidney transplantation-related videos on major short video sharing platforms.

Between April 28, 2025 and May 02, 2025, using Chinese search terms for "kidney transplantation," we collected 263 relevant videos from WeChat, TikTok, and Bilibili. Two independent researchers evaluated video content and quality using the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) benchmark criteria, Global Quality Scale (GQS), modified DISCERN (mDISCERN), and Patient Education Materials Assessment Tool (PEMAT).

Healthcare professionals were the primary uploaders (112/263, 42.6%), and disease knowledge constituted the predominant content focus (161/263, 61.2%). Videos sourced from WeChat exhibited higher overall quality than those from TikTok or Bilibili. Videos uploaded by patients garnered significantly more likes and comments (all P < .001). Content featuring personal patient experiences also attracted significantly more likes and comments (all P < .001), whereas disease knowledge content was shared more frequently (P < .001). Patient vlog received significantly more likes and comments, while dialogue formats were shared more often (P < .001). Positive correlations were observed between engagement variables (likes, comments, favorites, shares) and followers (all P < .001), while a negative correlation existed with video duration (all P < .005). Shares and followers positively correlated with video quality (P < .001 and P < .01, respectively).

Although numerous kidney transplantation-related videos are available on short video platforms, their quality and reliability vary considerably and require significant improvement.