Quality and Reliability of YouTube for Patient Information on Facial Fillers

• Published in: The American journal of cosmetic surgery 2021-12, Vol.38 (4), p.248-253
• Main Authors: Patel, Manish J., Patel, Mit M., Abud, Brittany T., Cristel, Robert T.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• ISSN: 0748-8068; 2374-7722
• DOI: 10.1177/0748806821991408

YouTube proves to be a source of health information for patients. This is the first study to analyze the source reliability and educational value of YouTube videos on facial filler treatments. On August 12, 2020, YouTube.com was queried using the keywords “facial filler” or “dermal filler” or “fillers.” A total of 100 were initially reviewed in which 74 videos met the inclusion criteria and were included in the final analysis. Video characteristics were recorded, and each video was graded for source reliability and educational value by using the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) benchmark criteria and the Global Quality Score (GQS), respectively. Furthermore, each video was assessed to determine whether there was discussion of 5 different topics that were deemed to be useful to patients prior to undergoing a facial filler treatment. A total of 74 videos met the inclusion criteria and had an average length of 436 seconds (7 minutes and 16 seconds), 146 805 views, 1906 likes, 73 dislikes, and 241 comments. Forty-five videos (61%) were posted with an intention to educate patients, whereas 29 videos (39%) were posted with an intention to describe a patient’s experience with facial filler treatment. Patient education videos were found to have a significantly higher educational value (PGQS < .001). Patient experience videos showed no difference in reliability score (PJAMA > .05) to patient education videos, but patient experience videos were found to have lower educational value compared with patient education videos (PGQS < .001). In addition, both categories are not providing sufficient information for informed decision-making prior to treatment deemed by the 5 selected categories we found most informative. As patients will continue to seek educational material online, clinicians should use this information to help primarily educate patients with standardized and accurate information about their treatment.