BACKGROUND
Background Acute pancreatitis is a primarily sterile inflammation caused by premature intracellular protease activation, which has caught the attention of social media platforms such as Bilibili, TikTok, and YouTube. However, the content and quality of medical information on social media exists unclear and indeterminate.
OBJECTIVE
The purpose of the study is to evaluate the content and quality of online videos about acute pancreatitis from Bilibili, TikTok, and YouTube
METHODS
Methods A video search using acute pancreatic-related keywords was conducted on three video-sharing platforms: Bilibili, TikTok, and YouTube. We recorded basic information presented in the videos and identified the source and content type of each video. The educational content and quality of each video were evaluated using the Global Quality Scale (GQS), Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), and Modified DISCERN. A comparative analysis was conducted on the videos obtained from these three sources.
RESULTS
Results 300 videos were considered for assessment. Most videos were provided by health professionals (50.7%, 152/300), followed by nonprofit organizations (27.7%, 83/300). Additionally, 13.2% of videos (36/300) were offered by science communicators, and 5.7% (17/300) were provided by general users. The remaining videos were uploaded by news agencies (3.3%, 10/300) and two for-profit organizations (0.7%, 2/300). The content types of the 300 videos were classified into five categories: clinical diagnosis (25%, 75/300), prognosis (5%, 15/300), etiologies and causations (6.7%, 20/300), scientific introductions (51%, 153/300), and treatment methods (12.3%, 37/300). The overall quality of the videos, as evaluated by GQS, JAMA, and Modified DISCERN, was found to be moderate, with scores of 2.67/5, 2.22/4, and 2.63/5 points, respectively.
CONCLUSIONS
Conclusions Video-sharing platforms have become easily accessible sources for patients seeking information about their diseases. This innovative study demonstrates that social media videos can facilitate public learning about clinical diagnosis, prognosis, treatment methods, etiologies and causations, and scientific introductions of acute pancreatitis. However, both the content and quality of uploaded videos are currently inadequate. In the future, greater efforts should be made to enhance the content and quality of videos on acute pancreatitis and increase public awareness.