Evaluation of YouTube Videos as a Source for Urinary Incontinence Exercises

Aim: This study aimed to investigate the accuracy, adequacy, and reliability of YouTube videos concerning urinary incontinence exercises. Material and Methods: YouTube was searched with the keywords 'urinary incontinence exercises' and 'urinary incontinence exercise treatment'. 245 videos met the inclusion criteria and were included. These videos were evaluated by two physicians. The evaluation parameters were as follows: numerical parameters, modified DISCERN questionnaire (mDISCERN), Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) Benchmark Criteria, Global Quality Score (GQS). The video was also evaluated to see if the exercises were shown correctly. Results: The majority of videos were uploaded from the USA (n=97, 39.6%), and the source was mostly from non-healthcare workers (n=99, 40.4%). Exercises were shown correctly in 154 (62.9%) videos. Videos created by doctors had significantly higher view count (p=0.015), video duration (p0.001), number of comments (p0.001), GQS (p=0.003), and mDISCERN score (p=0.004) compared to others. The JAMA score was higher in videos created by doctors and physiotherapists than in the others (p0.001). The videos where the exercises were shown correctly had higher GQS (p0.001), JAMA (p=0.010), and mDISCERN (p=0.019) scores compared to the videos where the exercises were not shown correctly. Conclusion: The majority of the YouTube videos evaluated in this study were found to be of intermediate quality according to the GQS score, and partly sufficient according to the JAMA score. It is thought that videos explained by a doctor and showing the exercises correctly may be more beneficial for patients.