Merve Erkoç, Gürgün Tuğçe Vural Solak, Yavuzalp Solak
Türkiye Aile Hekimliği Dergisi - 2025;29(3):99-107
Background: People can create video content on any topic they want via the internet and social media applications. Our aim is to determine the quality, reliability, understandability and actionability levels of YouTube videos on nasal corticosteroid usage and to evaluate the nasal corticosteroid application steps. Methods: The first 200 videos were evaluated and recorded on YouTube (http://www.youtube.com) with the search term "use of nasal corticosteroid spray" on March 23, 2024. Videos regarding nasal corticosteroid use were evaluated by relevant clinicians using the Global Quality Scale (GQS), modified DISCERN (mDISCERN) and the Patient Education Materials Assessment Tool for Audiovisual Materials (PEMAT-A/V) scales, respectively. And the nasal corticosteroid application steps were recorded one by one. Results: The median duration of 113 (56.5%) videos included in the study was 146 (min-max: 39-3582) seconds. The median GQS score of the videos was 3 (min-max: 1-5) and the median mDISCERN score was 3 (min-max: 0-5). When we evaluated the PEMAT-A/V scores of the videos, 35 were found to be understandable and 69 were actionable. The Global Quality Scala scores were found to be significantly higher in videos that were considered understandable and actionable (p=0.012, p<0.001, respectively). Modified DISCERN scores were found to be significantly higher in videos that were considered understandable and actionable (p=0.007, p=0.005, respectively). The steps for applying nasal corticosteroid spray were not adequately stated in the videos. Conclusion: Increasing the number of actionable and quality content prepared using everyday language, far from medical terms, in the light of scientific data on social media, especially on the YouTube platform, can help larger audiences access accurate information on medical issues.
