Background Myocardial infarction (MI) is a leading cause of global mortality, making public education on its prevention, early recognition, and pre-hospital first aid essential. In China, short-video platforms like TikTok (Douyin) and Bilibili have become primary channels for health information dissemination. However, the quality and reliability of MI-related content on these platforms have not been systematically evaluated. This study aimed to assess and compare the quality, reliability, and accuracy of the most widely viewed (high-visibility) short videos about MI on TikTok and Bilibili and to identify factors associated with video quality. Methods This study conducted a cross-sectional content analysis of the top 100 highest-ranking MI-related Chinese short videos retrieved via each platform’s default ranking algorithm from both TikTok and Bilibili. Two independent cardiologists evaluated the videos using the Global Quality Score (GQS), the DISCERN instrument, and a newly developed Medical Information Accuracy Score (MIAS). Basic video characteristics, uploader information, and user engagement metrics were extracted. Results Overall, the quality of high-visibility MI-related videos on both platforms was suboptimal. Bilibili videos demonstrated significantly higher quality, reliability, and medical accuracy than those on TikTok (median GQS: 3 vs. 2, P.05). However, video duration showed a moderate positive correlation with higher quality and reliability scores (GQS: ρ=0.45, P<.001; DISCERN: ρ=0.41, P<.001). Conclusion The quality of information in high-visibility myocardial infarction-related videos on China’s major short-video platforms is concerningly poor, with Bilibili providing more reliable and accurate content than TikTok. The source of a video is a key determinant of its quality, but engagement metrics such as “likes” do not reliably signal informational quality. A collaborative effort among healthcare professionals, platform regulators, and the public is urgently needed to improve the quality of this critical health information.
Feng et al. (Sun,) studied this question.