ORIGINAL ARTICLE   

Minerva Endocrinology 2023 December;48(4):371-8

DOI: 10.23736/S2724-6507.22.03732-0

Copyright © 2022 EDIZIONI MINERVA MEDICA

language: English

YouTube as a patient-information source for hypothyroidism

Natalia A. DUŁAK ¹ ✉, Karolina ANUSZKIEWICZ ², Rafał TRZCIŃSKI ¹, Giuseppe FANCIULLI ³, Piotr STOGOWSKI ⁴

¹ Saint Vincent de Paul Hospital, Gdynia, Poland; ² University Clinical Center in Gdansk, Gdansk, Poland; ³ Unit of Endocrinology, Department of Medical, Surgical and Experimental Sciences, University of Sassari, AOU of Sassari, Sassari, Italy; ⁴ Copernicus Hospital in Gdansk, Gdansk, Poland

BACKGROUND: Hypothyroidism is a very common disease that requires life-long treatment. In our study, we analyze the quality of the YouTube videos concerning hypothyroidism as a “source of health information” for the patients, and the (possible) correlation between video quality and video popularity.
METHODS: We included 96 YouTube videos obtained by using the following search terms: “hypothyroidism,” “Hashimoto’s disease,” “thyroid insufficiency,” and “low thyroid hormone.” We evaluated video quality by using the DISCERN criteria, and video popularity by using the Video Power Index.
RESULTS: The mean DISCERN Score for both raters was 1.995, indicating poor YouTube videos’ quality. Sixty-eight videos achieved a high score in the video power index (VPI). The mean popularity score for videos with misleading information was higher than the mean score for all evaluated videos.
CONCLUSIONS: The overall quality of YouTube videos regarding hypothyroidism was poor. Videos frequently lack the source of information presented. Besides, content is often incomplete, and sometimes includes misleading statements. Physicians dealing with hypothyroid patients should be aware of the possibility that information and instruction they give to patients could be “modulated” by the availability of both low quality and popular alternative “sources of medical knowledge.”

KEY WORDS: Hypothyroidism; Internet; Webcast