YouTube as a source of patient information on positron emission tomography

Abstract

Aim: With the technological developments and the widespread use of smart phones, patients frequently use the internet to get information. YouTube is also one of the most popular sources for patient information. Positron emission tomography is one of the most common and important imaging methods specific to nuclear medicine. The aim of this study was to investigate the videos on YouTube about positron emission tomography imaging. Material and Method: This study was conducted in October 2022. Videos were accessed on YouTube using the keywords "positron emission tomography" and "pozitron emisyon tomografisi". These videos were evaluated using the global quality scale (GQS), the DISCERN scale, and the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) benchmark criteria. Results: In total, 123 videos were reviewed and 75 videos were included in the study. Most of these videos were uploaded by non-physician person. The number of views, the number of comments, the number of video likes and the viewing rate of the non-physician sourced videos were found to be higher than the physician sourced videos. On the other hand, JAMA scores, GQS scores and DISCERN scores of non-physician sourced videos were found to be lower than physician sourced videos. These findings were statistically significant. In addition, significant positive correlations were found between JAMA score, GQS score and DISCERN score. Conclusions: Widely used YouTube platform for any information. Patients and their relatives can also search specifically for any disease and treatment. Physicians and specialty associations can upload official videos to the YouTube platform to ensure that patients have access to higher quality and more accurate content. URLs of these videos can also be added to patient information forms.