Evaluation of Videos Related to Vaginal Cone Usage on YouTube as an Online Information Source

The aim of this study is to examine the quality and content characteristics of educational videos on the use of vaginal cones published on YouTube.

Video searches were conducted on the YouTube website using the keyword "usage of vaginal cones". A total of 52 videos were included in the current study. Modified DISCERN (mDISCERN) and Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) scales were used to evaluate the reliability of the videos, and the Global Quality Scale (GQS) was used for quality and usefulness.

As a result of the content analysis conducted, it was observed that 29 videos were classified as having “poor content” and 23 as “rich content.” When we examined the sources of the videos (n = 52), it was found that the majority (58%, n = 30) were produced by nonhealth care sources (medical companies and nonhealth professionals). With statistical significance in mDISCERN and GQS (p = 0.014, p = 0.036), physiotherapists were found to have the highest average scores (4.11 ± 1.05, 3.44 ± 0.73) whereas doctors ranked second in the average standard deviation (3.09 ± 1.04, 2.82 ± 0.98). In JAMA, medical companies were found to have the highest average score with statistical significance (p = 0.015) at 3.4 ± 0.74, followed by doctors at 3 ± 1, and physiotherapists at 2.89 ± 0.78 when averages were analyzed.

It is clearly evident that there is a need for higher quality and more reliable vaginal cone content database on YouTube. It is important for patients to be guided by health care professionals and informed about quality content criteria in order to access quality, reliable, and useful information.