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
. 2023 Jun;35(4):398-403.
doi: 10.1038/s41443-022-00557-5. Epub 2022 Mar 24.

Analysis of quality information provided by "Dr. YouTubeTM" on Phimosis

Simone Cilio  1 , Claudia Collà Ruvolo  2 , Carmine Turco  1 , Massimiliano Creta  1 , Marco Capece  1 , Roberto La Rocca  1 , Giuseppe Celentano  1 , Gianluigi Califano  1 , Simone Morra  1 , Alberto Melchionna  1 , Francesco Mangiapia  1 , Felice Crocetto  1 , Paolo Verze  3 , Alessandro Palmieri  1 , Ciro Imbimbo  1 , Vincenzo Mirone  1
Affiliations

Analysis of quality information provided by "Dr. YouTubeTM" on Phimosis

Simone Cilio et al. Int J Impot Res. 2023 Jun.

Abstract

The objective of the current study was to evaluate the quality of the information provided in YouTubeTM videos on phimosis. The term "phimosis" was searched on YouTubeTM, and the Patient Education Materials Assessment Tool (PEMAT) for Audio/Visual Materials (Understandability and Actionability sections, good-quality score of minimum 70%) and misinformation scale (rated from 1 to 5) were used to assess video quality. Quality assessment was investigated over time. Of all, 60 were eligible for analysis. Healthcare providers were the authors of 75.0% of the videos, and 73.3% of the videos were patient-targeted. The median Understandability score was 42.9% (interquartile range [IQR]:34.5-58.9) and ranged from 28.6 to 42.9% (2013-2020). The median Actionability score was 50.0% (IQR:25.0-56.2) and ranged from 25.0 to 50.0% (2013-2020). The median misinformation score was 2.8/5 (IQR:1.6-3.6), and although the score fluctuated over time, the median score was 2.6 both in 2013 and in 2020. According to our results, although an increase of PEMAT over time was observed, the overall quality of the information uploaded on YouTubeTM is low. Therefore, at present, YouTubeTM cannot be recommended as a reliable source of information on phimosis. Video producers should upload higher-quality videos to help physicians and patients in the decision-making process.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no competing interests.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1. PRISMA flowchart.
PRISMA diagram depicting inclusion and exclusion criteria of YouTubeTM video search.
Fig. 2
Fig. 2. Trend analysis.
Chart-line plots depicting PEMAT audio/visual (A/V) tool and misinformation scale trends of 60 YouTubeTM videos on “phimosis”, from 2013 to 2020. A PEMAT (A/V) Understandability. B PEMAT (A/V) Actionability. C Misinformation scale.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Salonia A, Bettocchi C, Boeri L, Capogrosso P, Carvalho J, Cilesiz NC, et al. European association of urology guidelines on sexual and reproductive health—2021 update: male sexual dysfunction. Eur Urol. 2021;80:333–57. doi: 10.1016/j.eururo.2021.06.007. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Hayashi Y, Kojima Y, Mizuno K, Kohri K. Prepuce: phimosis, paraphimosis, and circumcision. Sci World J. 2011;11:289–301. doi: 10.1100/tsw.2011.31. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. McGregor TB, Pike JG, Leonard MP. Pathologic and physiologic phimosis: approach to the phimotic foreskin. Can Fam Physician Med Fam Can. 2007;53:445–8. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Morris BJ, Matthews JG, Krieger JN. Prevalence of phimosis in males of all ages: systematic review. Urology. 2020;135:124–32. doi: 10.1016/j.urology.2019.10.003. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Balasubramanian A, Yu J, Srivatsav A, Spitz A, Eisenberg ML, Thirumavalavan N, et al. A review of the evolving landscape between the consumer Internet and men’s health. Transl Androl Urol. 2020;9:S123–34. doi: 10.21037/tau.2019.09.29. - DOI - PMC - PubMed