YouTube as a Source of Patient Information for Total Knee/Hip Arthroplasty: Quantitative Analysis of Video Reliability, Quality, and Content

Background:YouTube has become a popular platform for disseminating health-related information. However, the quality of such videos has never been assessed based on video source (author). Therefore, the current investigation aimed to quantitatively analyze the (1) accuracy, (2) reliability, (3) quality, and (4) content of total knee (TKA) and hip (THA) arthroplasty videos as a platform for patient information, based on video source.Methods:YouTube was queried (May 13, 2020) for TKA and THA videos. Top viewed 55 TKA and 50 THA relevant videos were stratified by source (ie, academic, physician, nonphysician/trainer, patient, and commercial). The Journal of the American Medical Association criteria were used to assess reliability, whereas DISCERN and TKA/THA content-specific scores assessed content quality. Two-sample t-tests and regression analyses assessed score variations based on video sources.Results:Mean TKA and THA video durations were 11.5 and 13.7 minutes, respectively. TKA and THA academic/physician videos demonstrated higher Journal of the American Medical Association scores relative to nonphysician videos (P < 0.001). Overall, TKA and THA mean DISCERN scores were 50.6 of 80 and 54.7 of 80 points, with significant differences between academic versus nonphysician videos (TKA: 59.9 versus 42.7, THA: 54.7 versus 31.5, P < 0.001). Regression analyses revealed that physician videos had higher odds ratio (OR) of excellent DISCERN score than nonphysician videos for TKA (OR: 8.8; 95% confidence interval: 1.4 to 55.6; P = 0.019) and THA (OR: 10.8; 95% confidence interval: 2.5 to 45.5; P = 0.001). TKA and THA mean content scores were 8.4 of 15 and 8.6 of 15, with significant differences between academic and nonphysician videos (TKA: 10.6 versus 5.8, THA: 8.6 versus 4.6; P < 0.001).Conclusion:Reliability, quality, and content of YouTube TKA and THA videos demonstrate marked variation. Academic and physician videos demonstrated fair to good quality and were more likely to attain a good/excellent score. Healthcare providers may direct patients to view higher quality videos.