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. 2025 Apr 17;25(1):1446.
doi: 10.1186/s12889-025-22738-9.

YouTube and TikTok as sources of information on acute pancreatitis: a content and quality analysis

Yu-Chen Zhu #  1   2 , Ren-Chun Du #  1   2 , Jie Gao  3 , Nong-Hua Lu  1 , Yin Zhu #  4 , Yi Hu #  5   6
Affiliations

YouTube and TikTok as sources of information on acute pancreatitis: a content and quality analysis

Yu-Chen Zhu et al. BMC Public Health. .

Abstract

Background: As one of the leading causes of hospitalization and huge medical expenses for gastrointestinal disorders, morbidity and mortality of acute pancreatitis continue to rise globally. Short videos are an important medium for population to achieve information about acute pancreatitis. We aimed to evaluate the content and quality of acute pancreatitis-related videos on TikTok and YouTube.

Method: A search was performed on the TikTok and YouTube platforms using the keyword "Acute pancreatitis". The sources of the videos were categorized as academic institutions, national institutions, physicians, healthcare professionals other than physicians, health information websites and others. The Journal of American Medical Association (JAMA), Global Quality Scale (GQS), and modified DISCERN scores were used to assess the quality of the included videos.

Result: A total of 75 TikTok videos and 79 YouTube videos were included and analyzed. Regarding modified DISCERN scale, the videos from national institutions scored highest on TikTok (p = 0.020). As for YouTube, healthcare professionals other than physicians had the highest averaged score judged by GQS score and JAMA score (p = 0.016 for JAMA score, p = 0.020 for GQS score). The duration of the videos on TikTok are significantly shorter than that on YouTube (71.5 vs. 361, respectively; p < 0.01). The length of the video was associated with higher JAMA score and DISCERN score (p < 0.01, r = 0.635 and 0.207, respectively).

Conclusion: According to TikTok and YouTube, basic information about acute pancreatitis was the main presentation of the videos. We recommend that video producers extend the length of their videos appropriately to flesh out the content, and national institutions, physicians, and healthcare professionals other than physicians are all great resource of getting to know the acute pancreatitis better for viewers.

Keywords: Acute pancreatitis; Cross-sectional study; Quality; TikTok; Video; YouTube.

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Conflict of interest statement

Declarations. Ethics approval and consent to participate: Not applicable. Consent for publication: Not applicable. Competing interests: The authors declare no competing interests.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Flowchart of the selection process
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
(A) Classification and percentage of videos from TikTok and YouTube; (B) Classification in the basic information of acute pancreatitis; (C) Categories of information related to acute pancreatitis treatment
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
Comparison of number of videos by category on TikTok and YouTube
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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