Low back pain: What is the role of YouTube content in patient education?

The aim of this study was to characterize the educational quality and reliability of YouTube videos related to low back pain (LBP) as well as to identify factors associated with the overall video quality. A review of YouTube was performed using two separate search strings. Video-specific characteristics were analyzed for the first 50 videos of each string. Seventy-seven eligible videos were identified as a result. The mean Journal of the American Medical Association score was 2.25 +/- 1.09 (range: 0-4) out of 4. The mean Global Quality Score (GQS) score was 2.29 +/- 1.37 (range: 1-4) out of 5. The mean LBP score (LPS) score was 3.83 +/- 2.23 (range: 0-11) out of 15. Video power index was a predictor of GQS score (beta = 55.78, p = 0.048), whereas the number of likes (beta = -2.49, p = 0.047) and view ratio (beta = -55.62, p = 0.049) were associated with lower quality scores. Days since initial upload (beta = 0.32, p = 0.042) as well as like ratio (beta = 0.37, p = 0.019) were independent predictors of higher LPS scores. The results of this study suggest that the overall reliability and educational quality of videos uploaded to YouTube concerning LBP are unsatisfactory. More popular videos demonstrated poorer educational quality than their less popular counterparts. As the prevalence of LBP rises, more accurate and thorough educational videos are necessary to ensure accurate information is available to patients.