Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2021 Sep 1;42(8):e1077-e1083.
doi: 10.1097/MAO.0000000000003197.

The Quality, Reliability, and Popularity of YouTube Education Videos for Vestibular Rehabilitation: A Cross-sectional Study

Selçuk Yildiz  1 , Sema Zer Toros
Affiliations

The Quality, Reliability, and Popularity of YouTube Education Videos for Vestibular Rehabilitation: A Cross-sectional Study

Selçuk Yildiz et al. Otol Neurotol. .

Abstract

Hypothesis: Vestibular rehabilitation (VR) education videos on YouTube are poor-quality and unreliable.

Background: YouTube has become a health information source. Recent studies have determined that videos on YouTube contain misleading and inappropriate information for different medical conditions. The aim of the present study was to assess the quality and reliability of VR education videos.

Methods: A search was performed using the keywords vertigo, vertigo treatment, vertigo exercise, and vestibular rehabilitation, on YouTube. The first 50 videos for each keyword were analyzed. Videos were divided into four groups according to the video source: Group 1: universities/occupational organizations, Group 2: medical ad/profit-oriented companies, Group 3: independent users, and Group 4: others (news/media/state institution). The quality and reliability of videos were evaluated regarding the modified DISCERN criteria, the modified Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) benchmark criteria, and global quality scores (GQS).

Results: Among the 200 videos analyzed, 103 were included. The main video source was medical ad/profit-oriented companies (60.2%). The mean modified DISCERN criteria score, the mean modified JAMA benchmark criteria score, and the mean GQS value of the videos were found as low (2.46 ± 1.37, 2.09 ± 1.23, and 2.67 ± 1.38, respectively). Videos uploaded by universities/occupational organizations (25.2%) had statistically significant higher modified DISCERN criteria scores, modified JAMA benchmark criteria scores, and GQS values compared with the other groups (p < 0.001).

Conclusion: Online information about VR education on YouTube was of poor quality and unreliable. Expert vestibular providers should be aware of these inappropriate sources and educate patients regarding the poor-quality of videos and also aim to provide more quality and reliable sources of information.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors disclose no conflicts of interest.

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

References

    1. Bisdorff AR, Staab JP, Newman-Toker DE. Overwiev of the international classification of vestibular disorders. Neurol Clin 2015; 33:541–550.
    1. Staab JP, Ruckenstein MJ. Chronic dizziness and anxiety: Effect of course of illness on treatment outcome. Arch Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg 2005; 131:675–679.
    1. Cawthorne T. The physiological basis for head exercises. J Char Soc Physiother 1944; 3:106–107.
    1. Cooksey FS. Rehabilitation in vestibular injuries. Proc R Soc Med 1946; 39:273–278.
    1. Bhattacharyya N, Gubbels SP, Schwartz SR, et al. Clinical practice guideline: benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (update). Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg 2017; 156:S1–47.

LinkOut - more resources