Purpose: YouTube is one of the most popular social media
platforms on the internet, and patients with chronic disease frequently use it to
seek treatment options. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the quality of
YouTube videos about erectile dysfunction.
Materials & methods: The terms “erectile dysfunction treatment”,
“erectile dysfunction surgery”, and “cure erectile dysfunction” were entered
into the YouTube search bar. A total of 56 videos were included in the study.
Videos’ view counts; upload dates; like, dislike, and comment counts; uploader
qualifications; length; and content were recorded. Video power index (VPI),
Quality Criteria for Consumer Health Information (DISCERN), and Journal of the
American Medical Association (JAMA) scores were determined.
Results: Thirty-two (57.1%) videos consisted of real images, and 24
(42.9%) contained animated images. Twenty-four (42.9%) videos were uploaded by
physicians, and 32 (57.1%) were uploaded by non-physicians. The mean like count
of the videos was 5,307 17.618, the mean dislike count was 560.07
1548.07, and the mean comment count was 235 373. The mean VPI value of
the videos was calculated as 81.19 21.19, the DISCERN score was 30.5
8.1, and the JAMA score was 1.23 0.55. Overall quality was very
poor in 24 (42.9%) of the examined videos, poor in 21 (37.5%), average in 10
(17.9%), and good in one (1.8%).
Conclusion: The overall quality of YouTube content on erectile
dysfunction was not sufficient to provide reliable information for patients.
Physicians should warn patients about the limitations of YouTube and direct them
toward more appropriate sources of information.