Quality, content structure, and reliability of prostatitis-related information on short-video platforms: a cross-platform analysis of TikTok and Bilibili

BACKGROUND: Prostatitis, particularly chronic prostatitis/chronic pelvic pain syndrome (CP/CPPS), remains a common yet challenging condition in urological practice, largely due to its heterogeneous etiology, diagnostic complexity, and high levels of patient anxiety. Increasingly, patients seek information about prostatitis from short-video platforms; however, the quality and clinical relevance of such content remain unclear. METHODS: A cross-sectional content analysis was conducted to evaluate prostatitis-related videos on TikTok and Bilibili. Video characteristics, engagement metrics, uploader type, and content themes were extracted. Information quality and reliability were assessed using the Global Quality Scale (GQS) and the modified DISCERN (mDISCERN) instrument, while content completeness was evaluated using a six-domain clinical information framework. Comparisons were performed across platforms and uploader categories, and correlations between engagement metrics and quality indicators were analyzed. RESULTS: A total of 223 videos were included. Overall information quality and reliability were moderate. Content distribution was heavily skewed toward treatment-related information, whereas disease awareness, diagnostic principles, and preventive or long-term management content were markedly underrepresented. Videos uploaded by healthcare professionals demonstrated significantly higher quality, reliability, and content completeness than those from non-professional sources. TikTok videos achieved higher overall quality and reliability scores compared with Bilibili. Engagement metrics showed only weak correlations with information quality and reliability indicators. CONCLUSION: Prostatitis-related information on short-video platforms is characterized by moderate quality and substantial structural imbalance, with an overemphasis on treatment and insufficient coverage of diagnostic reasoning and long-term management. From a urological clinical perspective, incomplete or misleading online information may shape patient expectations and has the potential to complicate clinical communication and shared decision-making, particularly regarding diagnostic evaluation, antibiotic expectations, and long-term management. Greater involvement of urologists in structured digital patient education and the promotion of clinically accurate content are needed to mitigate misinformation and improve patient understanding.