Osteochondritis dissecans: analyzing educational content quality and reliability on YouTube

Aim: The aim of this study is to compare the accuracy, reliability, and educational quality of YouTube videos on osteochondritis dissecans based on their YouTube Health verification status. Methods: The term “osteochondritis dissecans” was searched on June 3, 2024. The first 50 videos found on YouTube after searching “osteochondritis dissecans” were evaluated. The Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) benchmark criteria was used to score video reliability and accuracy (0–4 points), the Global Quality Score (GQS) was used to score nonspecific educational content (0–5 points), and the osteochondritis dissecans specific score (OCDSS) was used to score specific educational content (0–11 points). Three independent reviewers scored all videos, and interrater reliability was assessed with intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC). Group differences were analyzed with one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) and independent sample t-tests, and multivariable linear regression was used to identify independent predictors of JAMA, GQS, and OCDSS scores. Results: A total of 50 videos were analyzed with a cumulative 326,851 views. The mean JAMA score was 2.28 ± 0.64, the mean GQS score was 2.60 ± 1.36, and the mean OCDSS was 5.02 ± 3.16. The mean JAMA score for YouTube Health verified videos was 2.44 ± 0.34, GQS was 2.72 ± 1.22, and OCDSS was 5.72 ± 2.69. The mean JAMA score for videos not verified by YouTube Health was 2.29 ± 0.65, GQS score was 2.61 ± 1.44, and OCDSS was 4.95 ± 3.37. These differences were not statistically significant: JAMA p = 0.380, GQS p = 0.837, OCDSS p = 0.546. Conclusions: There were no significant differences in reliability, educational content, and comprehensiveness between videos that were verified by YouTube Health and videos that were not verified.