Does YouTube videos have reliable information on Penile Doppler Ultrasonography?

Objective: Our objective was to evaluate the accuracy and reliability of YouTube videos about penile doppler ultrasonography (PDU), a diagnostic tool for erectile dysfunction. Material and Methods: Videos on YouTube were searched using the term “Penile Doppler Ultrasonography”. The most related 48 videos were included in to study. For each video, uploader type (physician, patient, or YouTuber), target group (physicians or non-physicians), video duration, upload date, daily view count, the total number of views, and the number of likes and comments were recorded. The reliability and quality of the content of these videos included in the study were evaluated using JAMA, DISCERN, and GQS scores. Results: The physicians uploaded all of the videos used in the study. It was shown that 27 (56%) of the videos were prepared for physicians, and the remaining videos were prepared for non-physicians. All the videos had general information about the PDU, 32 (67%) videos gave theoretical information, and 23 (48%) videos gave information about the application of the PDU. When the videos were examined according to the target group, it was shown that the videos prepared for physicians had a longer duration (p=,001) but had a lower number of comments and views (p=,012 and p=.046, respectively). In addition, when the video content quality and reliability were examined, the average JAMA score was 2.5, the GQS score was 3.44, and the DISCERN score was 52.2. It was found that the quality and reliability scores were statistically higher in the videos prepared for physicians (p<0.05). Conclusion: As a source of knowledge about health care, YouTube is frequently used by doctors and other people (including patients). High-quality information is very important for both physicians and individual patients. In this study, we showed that videos uploaded by physicians had reliable content, but these high-quality videos had longer duration and lower view count. In order to improve the quality of PDU-related videos, physicians should upload high-quality videos, and YouTube algorithms should direct patients to high-quality videos. Keywords: penile, doppler, ultrasonography, YouTube