Educational Value of Youtube Videos in Dialysis Catheter Application

Objective: Youtube is one of the most popular video-sharing websites and can be a powerful tool for disseminating health information. The number and use of Youtube videos in the medical field is increasing, so there is a need to research its educational value. We examined dialysis catheter application videos' characteristics, usefulness, and scientific accuracy. Methods: We performed a Youtube search with the keywords of "dialysis catheter" without selecting any filter in the English language in April 2022. The content of the videos, video sources, type of catheter mentioned in the video, presence of animation, and the accuracy of the information was evaluated. mDISCERN score was also determined to clarify the power of the accuracy. Results: The evaluation showed that the number of videos with accurate information was 171 (83.4%) with a significantly higher mDISCERN score (2.85 +/- 0.59). Among the targeted videos, the mDISCERN score of the videos uploaded by healthcare professionals and the official institution was significantly higher. The average usefulness score was 1.96 +/- 0.23, and there was no significant difference between the sources. Conclusions: It would be more appropriate to present the videos selected in terms of education and reliability under a sub-title such as "YouTube Medical Education" for use by medical professionals.