The Quality and Reliability of Short Videos about Thyroid Nodules on Bilibili and Tiktok: Cross-sectional Study

Abstract

Abstract Purpose The detection rate of thyroid nodules has witnessed a significant surge recently. Short video platforms such as Tiktok and Bilibili show tremendous potential in the dissemination of health information. There is a plethora of videos about thyroid nodules on Tiktok and bilibili with uncertain quality and reliability. garnering widespread popularity among users. The aim of study is to investigate the quality and reliability of these videos. Methods On December 3rd 2023, the top 100 short videos related to thyroid nodules on Bilibili and Tiktok were collected respectively. After extracting the basic information, the quality and reliability of each video was assessed by using the Global Quality Score (GQS) and DISCERN score. Further, Spearman correlation analyses were applied to examine the correlation among video variables, GQS and DISCERN score. Results Compared to Bilibili, Tiktok exhibits greater popularity, as evidenced by higher counts of likes, comments and shares. The median (interquartile range) scores of GQS and DISCERN score were 3 (2–3) on Tiktok while 2 (2–3) on Bilibili. Moreover, it was observed that the videos shared by thyroid specialists demonstrated higher scores both in GQS and DISCERN score than others on Tiktok. Spearman correlation analysis revealed no significant correlation between video variables and scores. Conclusion This study revealed that the quality and reliability of thyroid nodules videos on Bilibili and Tiktok were unsatisfactory. Notably, videos shared by thyroid specialists are more likely to exhibit superior quality and reliability, holding greater informative value. Consequently, people should be caution when perusing short videos.