YouTube as a Source of Information on Trigger Finger Disorder
Abstract
Objectives: Trigger finger disorder, also known in the literature as stenosing tenosynovitis of the finger; is a disease that can lead to clinical findings such as pain, swelling, limitation of movement, and loss of full extension in the involved finger. Our study aims to evaluate the quality and reliability of the most watched YouTube videos about trigger finger disorder.
Materials and Methods: The keyword “trigger finger” was used to search for videos. According to the search results, the 60 most watched videos were evaluated. The basic videometric parameters of the videos were recorded, including the number of views, the number of daily views, the number of likes, the number of comments, the upload date, and the total number of days on YouTube. According to the uploader source, the videos were classified as doctors, other health professionals, health information sites, television programs, and independent users. In addition, videos were grouped as low-medium-high quality using the global quality scale (GQS). The reliability of the videos was evaluated using the modified DISCERN scale and the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) criteria.
Results: A total of 60 videos were reviewed and 41 videos meeting the inclusion criteria were included in the study. Sources of 41 evaluated videos; 20 (48.8%) are doctors, 9 (22%) are other health professionals, 11 (26.8%) are health information sites and 1 (2.4%) are TV programs. According to the quality classification, 29.3% of them are of low quality, 26.8% of them are of medium quality and 43.9% of them are of high quality. 72% of the high-quality videos included in the study were uploaded by doctors, and 65% of the videos uploaded by doctors are of high quality. There was no significant difference between the quality groups in terms of the total number of views, daily views, number of likes, and comments (p>0.05). The GQS (p=0.002), JAMA (p=0.041), and DISCERN (p=0.003) values of the videos in which the source was a doctor were found to be significantly higher than the values of other sources. There was a significant positive correlation between the videos' GQS score and JAMA, DISCERN, and time.
Conclusions: Most of the YouTube videos uploaded by doctors related to trigger finger disorder are of higher quality and reliability than other sources. It is beneficial for users to focus on video resources rather than being directed by the number of views, the number of comments, and the number of likes. Doctors should use online platforms such as YouTube more and upload quality and reliable content.
Keywords
References
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