Evaluating YouTube as a Source Of Patient Education for Patients Undergoing Surgery

Introduction: Online video sharing platforms such as YouTube have become a substantial source of health information that patients are likely to access before surgery. The objective of this systematic review is to characterize the peer-reviewed literature investigating YouTube as a source of patient education for patients undergoing surgery. Methods: A comprehensive literature search was conducted using EMBASE, MEDLINE, and Ovid from inception to December of 2021. Study screening and data extraction occurred in duplicate. All primary studies evaluating YouTube as a source of patient education relating to surgical procedures for the selected specialties (general, cardiac, urology, otolaryngology, and plastic) were included. Descriptive statistics were used to describe data in aggregate. Results: Among 6,453 citations identified, 56 studies were identified that examined 6,524 videos with 1843 hours of content and 1.1 billion views. Among 49 studies that evaluated the educational quality of the videos, 43 quality assessment tools were used, with each study using a mean of 1.88 assessment tools. Per the global rating for assessments, 34/49 studies (69%) concluded that the overall quality of educational content was poor. Conclusion: While the impact of non-peer-reviewed YouTube videos on patient knowledge and preparedness for surgery is unclear, the large amount of online content suggests that they are in demand. The overall educational content of these videos is poor, however, and there is substantial heterogeneity in the quality assessment tools used in their evaluation. A peer-reviewed and standardized approach to online education with video content is needed to better support patients.