Evaluation of Anesthesia-Related Videos in Patients With Obesity on the Youtube Platform in Terms of Quality, Reliability, and Usefulness

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to assess the quality, reliability, and usefulness of anesthesia-related YouTube videos for obese patients by analyzing their content and evaluating their usefulness based on the source of the video. This research analyzed the top 108 most-watched YouTube videos tagged with "bariatric anesthesia" and "anesthesia in obese patients." We recorded data such as the upload year, number of views, days since upload, daily average views, length of videos, and the number of likes and comments. Videos were grouped into 3 categories: healthcare institutions, educational institutions, and personal websites. The accuracy and reliability of the videos were evaluated using standards set by the American Medical Association. The quality was assessed via a global quality scale (GQS), and usefulness was determined through a newly developed obesity anesthesia benefit index (OABI). The general usefulness of these videos was rated low. There was a notable correlation between the OABI usefulness scores and both the video durations and the time since upload (P = .000; P = .037). Videos from educational institutions notably scored higher on the GQS and according to the American Medical Association standards compared to other sources (P < .000; P < .000). Despite these differences, 75% of videos from healthcare institutions, 61.9% from educational institutions, and 76.5% from personal sources were classified as minimally useful according to the OABI. Our evaluation using the obesity anesthesia benefit index revealed that the usefulness of the YouTube videos was lower than initially hypothesized.