Characterization of the dissemination of canine cancer misinformation on YouTube

YouTube is the third most popular app in the world and continues to grow each year while it reaches over 2 billion users a month. A variety of veterinary topics are addressed on YouTube but to date there have been no studies analysing misinformation of various canine cancer topics on YouTube or social media. This study described the characteristics of 99 unique videos and used the validated DISCERN quality criteria for consumer health information and the Patient Education Materials Assessment Tool (PEMAT) to characterize their usefulness. The overall median DISCERN quality score was 3 (out of 5), the median PEMAT understandability score was 72%, and 61% of videos contained little to no misinformation. 53% of videos were created by veterinarians and this subset had significantly higher PEMAT understandability and DISCERN quality scores compared with client-created content (p = .0228 and p ≤ .0001, respectively). Videos with little to no misinformation had statistically significant higher DISCERN quality scores (3 vs. 2, p = .0001). There was no statistical significance between misinformation levels and video length, PEMAT understandability, thumbs up/view, or views/mo. These data reveal similar rates of misinformation in videos on canine cancer compared to that reported for various human cancer topics. This study highlights the need for veterinarians to guide clients to more reliable and understandable information regarding their pet's health.