Pitua Ivaan, Namiiro Amelia Margaret, Apili Lorraine, Raizudheen Raafidha, Segawa Michael Collins, Bongomin Felix
Makerere University College of Health Sciences, Kampala, Uganda.
Department of Medical Microbiology, Gulu University, Gulu, Uganda.
Mycopathologia. 2025 Jun 23;190(4):57. doi: 10.1007/s11046-025-00967-1.
Aspergillosis, a fungal disease caused by the genus Aspergillus, can lead to various clinical manifestations, especially in immunocompromised individuals. YouTube serves as a major source of health information, but the quality and reliability of its content vary. We evaluated the quality, reliability, and educational value of uploaded YouTube videos on aspergillosis.
On August 20th, 2024, YouTube Videos on aspergillosis were selected based on the number of views and analyzed using the Global Quality Score (GQS), Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) Benchmark Criteria, and the Modified DISCERN Questionnaire. Videos were categorized by creators (Doctors, Medical tutors, Patients, Others). Descriptive statistics, Mann-Whitney U test, and Spearman correlation were used to assess video quality and its association with video parameters.
We included 50 videos, which generally exhibited high content quality with a median GQS of 4.00 (IQR = 0.50), good information quality with a JAMA median score of 3.00 (IQR = 0.75), and moderate reliability with mDISCERN median score of 3.40 (IQR = 1.00). Significant positive correlations were found between video duration and GQS (r = 0.592, p < 0.001), JAMA (r = 0.308, p = 0.031), and mDISCERN (r = 0.667, p < 0.001). High-quality videos had significantly longer durations, with a median of 12.97 min (IQR = 16.57) compared to low-to-medium-quality videos with 2.00 min (IQR = 5.57) (p < 0.001).
There is a significant variability in the quality of videos on aspergillosis on YouTube. While longer videos tend to offer more reliable and comprehensive information, relying on popularity metrics alone may lead to misinformation. There is a need for critical evaluation of online information on this important fungal disease and the promotion of high-quality content to enhance public understanding and health outcomes.
曲霉病是一种由曲霉菌属引起的真菌病，可导致多种临床表现，尤其是在免疫功能低下的个体中。YouTube是健康信息的主要来源，但其内容的质量和可靠性各不相同。我们评估了YouTube上上传的关于曲霉病视频的质量、可靠性和教育价值。
2024年8月20日，根据观看次数选择了关于曲霉病的YouTube视频，并使用全球质量评分（GQS）、《美国医学会杂志》（JAMA）基准标准和改良的DISCERN问卷进行分析。视频按创作者（医生、医学导师、患者、其他人）分类。使用描述性统计、曼-惠特尼U检验和斯皮尔曼相关性分析来评估视频质量及其与视频参数的关联。
我们纳入了50个视频，这些视频总体上呈现出较高的内容质量，GQS中位数为4.00（四分位间距IQR = 0.50），信息质量良好，JAMA中位数评分为3.00（IQR = 0.75），可靠性中等，改良DISCERN中位数评分为3.40（IQR = 1.00）。视频时长与GQS（r = 0.592，p < 0.001）、JAMA（r = 0.308，p = 0.031）和改良DISCERN（r = 0.667，p < 0.001）之间存在显著正相关。高质量视频的时长明显更长，中位数为12.97分钟（IQR = 16.57），而低至中等质量视频的时长为2.00分钟（IQR = 5.57）（p < 0.001）。
YouTube上关于曲霉病的视频质量存在显著差异。虽然较长的视频往往提供更可靠和全面的信息，但仅依靠人气指标可能会导致错误信息。有必要对关于这种重要真菌病的在线信息进行批判性评估，并推广高质量内容，以增进公众的理解和改善健康结果。
