A cross-sectional study of YouTube videos as a source of patient information about phototherapy and excimer laser for psoriasis.

A cross-sectional study of YouTube videos as a source of patient information about phototherapy and excimer laser for psoriasis. J Dermatolog Treat. 2019 Apr 09;:1-15 Authors: Pithadia DJ, Reynolds KA, Lee EB, Wu JJ Abstract YouTube is increasingly utilized by patients for health information. We aimed to assess the educational quality of YouTube videos about phototherapy and excimer laser for psoriasis. A cross-sectional analysis of YouTube videos was conducted using the search terms psoriasis phototherapy and psoriasis laser. Of the 200 videos screened, 124 met inclusion criteria. Sixty-eight (54.8%) were generated by device manufacturers advertising their product, 35 (28.2%) by healthcare professionals, and 8 (6.5%) by patients delivering testimonials from experiences receiving therapy. Fourteen (11.2%) contained high-quality patient education content, 28 (22.5%) were fair-quality, and 82 (66.1%) were low-quality. Compared to videos generated by advertisers, those created by healthcare providers were of higher educational quality and more likely to be patient-directed. Neither the number of views nor interaction differed significantly among videos of varying educational quality between videos presenting evidence-based versus non-evidence-based claims about psoriasis, and between videos conveying positive versus negative messages regarding medical consultation. Overall, the majority of YouTube videos about phototherapy and excimer l...
Source: Journal of Dermatological Treatment - Category: Dermatology Tags: J Dermatolog Treat Source Type: research