A descriptive content analysis of TikTok videos for postnatal perineal wound care education

Background/Aims TikTok is a rapidly growing social media platform, with large numbers of patients accessing it instead of attending in-person consultations. This review aimed to explore the information available on TikTok regarding patient education for postnatal perineal wound care. Methods A video search using the phrase ‘postnatal perineal care’ was performed followed by a hashtag function search in November 2024. The videos were analysed by video metrics, content purpose and video content. Results The top two out of three video results had 97.7% ( n =592 600) of the views and were focused solely on affiliated product placement. A hashtag search identified 132 relevant videos, of which 76% ( n =8 171 000) contained affiliated product placement. Influencer videos made up 52.5% ( n =69) of the videos, but had 88.7% ( n =9 062 782) of the views. Only 32.5% ( n =43) of videos were produced by registered healthcare professionals, which accounted for 5.5% ( n =562 161) of the views. Conclusions Despite the rapid increase in TikTok use to explore health concerns, the majority of videos are produced by laypeople and do not contain educational information about postnatal perineal wound care. Implications for practice Healthcare professionals may need to consider using social media to disseminate educational information.