Are YouTube videos useful as a source of information for oral care of leukemia patients?

Objectives: Video sharing sites are a popular and useful way to spread information. The aim of this study was to evaluate information about oral care for leukemia patients and quality of information related to videos available on YouTube. Method and materials: In this cross-sectional study, YouTube videos were analyzed according to the information content. The search was performed in English and using the search term: leukemia/oral care. The following information was registered: date of upload, source of upload, duration, total views, number of likes, number of dislikes, number of comments, overall quality. The overall quality of videos was assessed using the following quality criteria presented in the Global Quality Scale (GQS): poor, generally poor, moderate, good, and excellent. In addition, videos were classified as useful, misleading, and patient personal experience. Videos were assessed in terms of definition, etiology, pathogenesis, symptoms, treatment, and oral care for leukemia. Results: Sixty-three videos (78.8%) were classified as useful, 6 (7.5%) as misleading and 11 (13.8%) as a patient's personal experience. Thirteen videos (16.3%) discussed the definition of leukemia, 8 (10.0%) discussed etiology, 6 (7.5%) discussed pathogenesis, 7 (8.8%) discussed symptoms of leukemia, 50 (62.5%) discussed treatment choices, and 15 videos (18.8%) discussed oral care of leukemia. Thirteen videos (16.3%) were assessed as poor, 17 (21.3%) as generally poor, 39 (48.8%) as moderate, 10 (12.5%) as good quality, and 1 (1.3%) as excellent. There was a significant difference between the content of videos and the number of views, number of likes, number of dislikes, and number of comments (P .05). There was a significant difference between the content of videos and number of views, number of likes, number of dislikes, and number of comments (P = .007, P = .006, P = .049, and P = .011 respectively). There was no significant difference between demographic parameters and quality of video. There was no significant difference between demographic parameters (except duration, P = .025) and source of information. Conclusions: YouTube is a useful source of information on leukemia. Health care professionals should take into consideration that YouTube is an effective information tool for the patient. Keywords: health, leukemia, oral care, video, YouTube