The accuracy of YouTube videos on idiopathic granulomatous mastitis: A analysis of quality and reliability

Most people get health information online, but its quality and reliability are unclear. To assess the quality and reliability of YouTube videos about idiopathic granulomatous mastitis (IGM). Two rheumatologists independently searched YouTube on January 4, 2025, using the keywords "idiopathic granulomatous mastitis" and "granulomatous mastitis." Video metrics were recorded. The Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), global quality scale (GQS), and modified DISCERN (mDISCERN), were employed to evaluate the reliability and quality of the videos. Videos were categorized into groups based on GQS and physician and non-physician groups based on source. Comparative analyses were performed. The study included 50 of 120 YouTube videos examined on IGM, excluding duplicate, irrelevant, non-English, and inappropriate audio videos. These included 72% useful, 10% misleading, and 18% patient experiences. Content categories included overview (66%), clinical findings (20%), pathogenesis (8%), and treatment (6%). Physicians uploaded 46% of videos, while non-physicians uploaded 54%. Physician videos had significantly higher mDISCERN, GQS and JAMA scores (p<0.001) and were more likely to cover pathogenesis (p<0.05). Non-physician videos were more often misleading (p<0.05). There were significant differences in the number of, daily views, views, video power index, likes, mDISCERN, and JAMA score for high-quality videos (p<0.016). The mDISCERN, JAMA, and GQS were highly correlated between researchers (p<0.001). GQS and JAMA are strongly positively correlated (p<0.001). Although the reliability of the content depends on the source, YouTube can be beneficial to IGM. Quality checks should be done before uploading due to misleading information.