Assessing Vasectomy-Related Information on YouTube
An Analysis of the Quality, Understandability, and Actionability of Information
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 21748926 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Jacob J Lang (0000-0003-0956-3021, University of Toledo), Zane Giffen (0000-0001-9512-4134, University of Toledo), Stephen Hong (0000-0002-9273-2465, University of Toledo), Jonathan Demeter (0000-0002-3745-9005, University of Toledo), Ahmed El-Zawahry (University of Toledo College of Medicine and Life Sciences, Toledo, OH, USA), Ahmed El‐Zawahry (0000-0003-4950-0156, University of Toledo), Puneet Sindhwani (0000-0002-9420-2978, University of Toledo, corresponding author), Obi Ekwenna (0000-0002-8978-8281, University of Toledo) |
| Year | 2022 |
| Volume | 16 |
| Issue | 2 |
| Pages | 15579883221094716-15579883221094716 |
| Publication date | 2022-03-01 |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | American Journal of Men s Health (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1557-9883 • E-ISSN: 1557-9891 |
| Publisher | SAGE Publications (PUBLISHER • US) |
| DOI | 10.1177/15579883221094716 |
| PMID | 35491867 |
| OpenAlex | W4225327547 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 1 |
| References cited | 22 |
This study aims to critically appraise the quality of vasectomy-related health information currently available on YouTube to better address patient information needs moving forward. A YouTube search was performed using the keyword “vasectomy.” The first 100 videos were assessed, with irrelevant and duplicate videos excluded. Two independent reviewers evaluated the remaining videos using the DISCERN instrument for evaluating the quality of information and the Patient Education Materials Assessment Tool for Audiovisual materials (PEMAT-A/V) for assessing the understandability and actionability of materials. Source characteristics and markers of bias and misinformation were also collected. Seventy-eight videos were included in the study, with a mean duration of 6.6 minutes and mean of 216,672 views. The median DISCERN score was poor at 28 (IQR 22–33) out of a possible 80 with mean PEMAT-AV Understandability and Actionability scores of 67.6% (±16.7%) and 33.8% (±36.2%), respectively. A medical doctor was present in 61 (78.2%) of the videos, of which 53 (86.9%) were urologists and 38 (62.2%) promoted their personal practice or institution. False statements regarding vasectomy were made in 14 (17.9%) videos. Notably, no significant difference was noted in quality, understandability, or actionability of videos created by those with personal promotion to those without. The quality of information regarding vasectomy on YouTube is poor and reaches a wide audience. Continued appraisal and creation of YouTube videos that contain quality, understandable and actionable information by urologists is necessary to ensure patients are well-informed
Family medicine · Family planning · Information quality · Information system · Medical education · Misinformation · Population · Research methodology · Vasectomy · Computer Science · Health Literacy and Information Accessibility · HIV/AIDS Research and Interventions · Male Reproductive Health Studies · Medicine
| Citations per year | 1 |
|---|---|
| Citation span | 2025 - 2025 (1) |
| Highly cited | No |