Is the Electroconvulsive Therapy Video on YouTube Supportive Information for Patients and Their Primary Caregivers?

Background: Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is a significant contemporary medical treatment modality for various mental disorders that have not responded to other treatments. YouTube is a valuable place to get health-related educational content that can have a big impact on patients' and their primary caregivers' behaviors and decisions.

Objective: The aim of the study is to analyze the content of YouTube videos related to ECT to investigate the quality and reliability of videos as supportive information for patients and their primary caregivers.

Methods: A total of 250 videos related to ECT that are available on YouTube were analyzed. The Global Quality Scale and the modified DISCERN tool were used to assess the quality and reliability of the videos. Details of the content of the video, caregiver appearance, methods of information presentation, source of the video, and video parameters were analyzed as well.

Result: The analysis revealed that the median total score of Global Quality Scale was 3 (interquartile range, 2; min-max, 1-5), which means the video quality was medium. The median total score of the modified DISCERN tool was 3 (interquartile range, 1; min-max, 0-5), which means the videos were highly reliable. Most of the video sources in the included videos were educational (41.2%, n = 103) from formal caregivers, and there was no significant difference between Global Quality Scale scores, video parameters, and modified DISCERN scores.

Conclusions: YouTube is considered a supportive source of information related to ECT but needs more encouragement from formal caregivers to disseminate high-quality and reliable healthcare content on YouTube platforms to ensure access to accurate information.