Consulting “Dr. YouTube”: an objective evaluation of hypospadias videos on a popular video-sharing website

Extended Summary Introduction Parents who make decisions about hypospadias repair for their child may seek information from online platforms such as YouTube. Objective The purpose of this study was to evaluate the health literacy demand of hypospadias videos on YouTube using the Patient Education Materials Assessment Tool for Audiovisual Materials (PEMAT-A/V). Study Design We performed a YouTube search using the term “hypospadias,” limiting results to the first 100 videos. We excluded videos that were 20 minutes and videos that were not in English or did not include subtitles. Two evaluators independently examined videos and determined PEMAT-A/V scores for understandability and actionability (i.e. ability to identify actions the viewer can take). Videos with scores >70% are understandable or actionable. The inter-rater reliability (kappa) and intra-class correlation coefficient (ICC) of PEMAT scores were calculated. Bivariate and multivariable linear regression models assessed the association of video characteristics with respective scores. Results Of the 100 videos that were identified on YouTube, 47(47%) were excluded leaving 53 for analysis: 14 were >20 minutes, 14 were Discussion The vast majority of hypospadias-related YouTube content is not appropriate for users with low health literacy although certain types of videos, such those with animation and expert testimonials, scored higher on understandability than other types. Conclusion Due to the lack of sufficient online informational content regarding hypospadias we plan to engage parents of sons with hypospadias in the development of high quality patient educational materials about hypospadias.