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Evaluating YouTube Videos as a High-Quality Educational Resource for Patients Contemplating Receiving Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillators
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  • Thomas J. Lee,
  • Daniel J. Campbell,
  • Manik Dayal,
  • Afif Hossain,
  • Abhinav Rao,
  • Behzad Pavri
Thomas J. Lee
New Jersey Medical School Division of Cardiology

Corresponding Author:tjlee056@gmail.com

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Daniel J. Campbell
Thomas Jefferson University
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Manik Dayal
New Jersey Medical School Division of Cardiology
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Afif Hossain
New Jersey Medical School Division of Cardiology
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Abhinav Rao
Thomas Jefferson University Department of Medicine
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Behzad Pavri
Thomas Jefferson University Department of Medicine
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Abstract

Introduction Patients increasingly use online sources to research treatment options and YouTube is the most used online video source. An estimated 40% of Americans watch YouTube videos regarding health and medicine; however, YouTube is unregulated and non-peer-reviewed. Methods We searched for YouTube videos using the term “Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillator.” Videos were categorized by uploader type and assessed using two methodologies: the modified DISCERN criteria (range: 0-25) and an electrophysiologist-reviewed Novel ICD (NI) score (range: 0-10). Qualitative score cut-offs were implemented stratifying the videos as: very poor, poor, average, good, and excellent. Secondary outcomes such as measures of popularity, duration, and audio-visual quality were collected and analyzed. Results Overall video quality was poor and highly variable across both scoring systems: mean modified DISCERN = 13.19±5.12; mean NI score = 4.09±2.56. Videos uploaded from academic institutions had a significantly higher modified DISCERN score than medical device companies, 13.97 (±4.59) vs. 9.039 (±5.16) (p=0.011). A significant positive correlation was found between video duration and both NI score (r=0.77, p<0.001) and modified DISCERN criteria (r=0.57, p<0.001). None of the metrics of video popularity correlated with video quality. Conclusion YouTube videos regarding ICDs available to patients were of a low and highly-variable quality. Factors such as uploader type, duration, and search position correlated with video quality. Although longer videos were more informative, videos that were optimal in length for attention (6 to 9 minutes) were variable in quality. More popular videos were not of higher quality, indicating that video preference by patients can be flawed.