Dept. of Urology, Tallaght University Hospital, Dublin, Ireland.
Dept. of Urology, Mater Misericordae University Hospital, Dublin, Ireland.
J Pediatr Urol. 2022 Jun;18(3):371-375. doi: 10.1016/j.jpurol.2022.03.001. Epub 2022 Mar 9.
'TikTok' is a social media application based on the publication of short videos that has accumulated over 1.1 billion users worldwide since its launch in 2016. With the use of 'TikTok' on the rise, there is an increasing tendency for patients or family members to seek medical information online.
We aim to assess the authenticity of information being spread on 'TikTok' on common paediatric urological presentations by comparison to current up to date guidelines provided by the European Association of Urology (EAU).
A search for a variety of paediatric urology conditions was performed on 'TikTok'. Videos were subsequently screened based on strict pre-defined criteria. The content and claims of each video were compared to up-to-date guidelines to reveal whether or not they complied with standards set by the European Association of Urology (EAU). Information that correlated with that of the guidelines was then further classified by Oxford levels of evidence.
27 videos met our criteria with a combined total of 6,578,863 views, 308,700 likes and 5782 comments. Only 22.2% of videos contained information that can also be found in guidelines provided by the EAU. None of the included videos contained any cited evidence to reinforce statements that were being made.
Misinformation lacking scientific evidence has been reported has been reported for various conditions on 'TikTok'. Patients, family members or caregivers without a medical background can have difficult verifying and ensuring the credibility of information posted on social media.
The evolution of 'TikTok' has allowed the layperson to create content that can potentially reach millions of users worldwide. This study demonstrated that 'TikTok' can be used as a resource for health information, however is currently a pit of misinformation with the potential to cause harm to the user.
“TikTok”是一个基于短视频发布的社交媒体应用程序，自 2016 年推出以来，已在全球积累了超过 11 亿用户。随着“TikTok”的使用日益增多，越来越多的患者或其家属倾向于在网上搜索医疗信息。
我们旨在通过与欧洲泌尿外科学会（EAU）提供的最新指南进行比较，评估在常见儿科泌尿科就诊中在“TikTok”上传播的信息的真实性。
在“TikTok”上搜索了各种儿科泌尿科疾病。随后根据严格的预设标准筛选视频。将每个视频的内容和主张与最新指南进行比较，以确定它们是否符合欧洲泌尿外科学会（EAU）设定的标准。与指南相关的信息随后根据牛津证据水平进一步分类。
27 个视频符合我们的标准，总观看次数为 6,578,863 次，点赞数为 308,700 次，评论数为 5782 次。只有 22.2%的视频包含了也可以在 EAU 提供的指南中找到的信息。在纳入的视频中，没有一个包含任何引用证据来加强所发表的声明。
在“TikTok”上，已经报道了各种情况下缺乏科学证据的错误信息。没有医学背景的患者、家属或护理人员在验证和确保社交媒体上发布的信息的可信度方面可能会遇到困难。
“TikTok”的发展允许非专业人士创作可能吸引全球数百万用户的内容。本研究表明，“TikTok”可以用作健康信息的资源，但目前是一个充斥错误信息的“陷阱”，可能对用户造成伤害。
