Assessing the Quality of YouTube Content on Laryngoplasty: A Resource for Patient Education.

Abstract

Objectives: With increasing reliance on online platforms for health information, ensuring the accuracy, accessibility, and reliability of content is essential. To date, no studies have evaluated the quality of laryngoplasty content on YouTube. Assessing quality will (1) Reveal deficits in existing content to help providers facilitate patient education prior to laryngoplasty and (2) Provide a framework for institutions to produce better laryngoplasty content in the future.

Methods: A search of YouTube videos was performed using the keyword "laryngoplasty." The first three pages of results were filtered for videos from hospitals and universities under 20 minutes long. Transcripts were created based on YouTube's autogenerated transcripts that were edited by one author (N Weiss). Content was assessed with the DISCERN instrument, Flesch Readability Ease Score (FRES), and Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level (FKGL). Videos were grouped by DISCERN scores: good (DISCERN > 3), moderate (DISCERN = 3), and poor (DISCERN < 3). Engagement metrics were collected. Variables were summarized using mean and standard deviation.

Results: Eleven videos met inclusion criteria. Good videos (36.3%) scored 4.25 (0.5) on DISCERN, 10.97 (1.54) on FKGL, and 51.94 (7.37) on FRES. Engagement averaged 114.25 likes and 16 325 views. Duration averaged 3:05 minutes. Moderate videos (36.3%) scored 3 (0) on DISCERN, 7.61 (1.79) on FKGL, and 66.36 (5.29) on FRES. Engagement averaged 389 likes and 269 107 views. Duration averaged 1:44 minutes. Poor videos (27.2%) scored 1.33 (0.58) on DISCERN, 7.54 (0.64) on FKGL, and 69.11 (3.78) on FRES. Engagement averaged 294.3 likes and 59 621 views. Duration averaged 13:52 minutes.

Conclusion: Good videos exhibited high FKGL (10.97) and low FRES (51.94), indicating that they are difficult for patients to understand. Moderate/poor videos had higher engagement (269 107 and 59 621 views, respectively) than good videos (16 325 views), indicating that patients are more often watching lower-quality content. Disparities seen in these data underscore the importance of providing thorough patient education in preparation for laryngoplasty and reveal a need to develop higher-quality, accessible laryngoplasty education on YouTube.

Educational objectives: 1-Provide information for institutions to create accessible and reliable laryngoplasty videos 2-Evaluate the accuracy and quality of information available on YouTube 3-Facilitate patient cooperation and education for laryngoplasty procedure.