Quality and Reliability of Information Available on YouTube and Google Pertaining Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease

Abstract Background Evaluation of the accuracy, quality and reliability of written and visual health contents on the internet by healthcare professionals. Aims The objective of this study was to evaluate gastroesophageal reflux health contents in Google search engine and videos on YouTube, in terms of quality, actuality, treatment diversity, accuracy and reliability. Methods A total of 77 YouTube videos and 57 Google contents related to gastroesophageal reflux disease were included in the study. The contents were assessed by two independent reviewers. Quality of the content included in this study was evaluated using DISCERN, which is commonly used for the assessment of health information on the internet, JAMA and video power index scores. Results Among YouTube videos; 44.7% (n = 34) were uploaded by experts, 44.7% (n = 34) by non-experts, 9.0% (n = 7) by media and 2.7% (n = 2) by academic institutions, while 10.5% (n = 6) of the Google contents were uploaded by experts, 59.6% (n = 34) by non-experts and 22.4% (n = 17) by academic institutions. The mean total DISCERN score (5-80 points) of reflux related YouTube was found as 37.2 ± 16.5. The mean total DISCERN scores of the evaluated Google contents was found as 42.1 ± 15.6. The mean JAMA score (0-4 points) was found as 2 ± 0.9 for YouTube videos and 2 ± 0.9 for Google contents. There was a strong correlation between all scores given by the two reviewers. Conclusions Overall quality of YouTube videos and Google contents about reflux was low. Healthcare professionals and organizations should be encouraged to provide more beneficial material and animated videos to people who seek reliable information on the internet.