Is YouTube Propagating Concerns About Breast Implant Illness?

Abstract

Background An increasing number of patients who underwent breast implant surgery are reporting a cluster of concerning physical and psychological symptoms—newly coined term breast implant illness (BII). YouTube is a popular educational tool for plastic surgery patients. Objectives The purposes of this study were to assess the quality and reliability of YouTube videos on BII, compare the quality and reliability of different video categories and publishers, and determine the frequencies of reported BII symptoms. Methods On YouTube, videos were searched for the term breast implant illness, and the first 100 results were collected. Engagement parameters and symptoms of BII mentioned in each video were recorded. Video power index, a modified DISCERN instrument, and the Global Quality Scale (GQS) were used to assess popularity, reliability, and quality, respectively. Results Ninety videos met the inclusion criteria. More than half mentioned fatigue (66%), cognitive dysfunction (59%), or muscle and/or joint pain (57%). Videos with a plastic surgeon present had higher DISCERN (P = 0.001) and GQS (P = 0.002) scores than those without. Educational videos had higher DISCERN and GQS scores than patient experience (P < 0.0001, P = 0.001) and entertainment and advertisement videos (P = 0.014, P = 0.022). Videos published by plastic surgeons had higher Video power index (P = 0.033), DISCERN (P < 0.0001), and GQS scores (P < 0.0001) than those by nonmedical publishers. Conclusions The top YouTube videos for BII are generally of low reliability and low-to-moderate quality. Patients unaware of YouTube's limited quality control measures for health education videos are susceptible to misinformation. Additional social media content created by plastic surgeons can improve the quality and accuracy of videos viewed by patients.