Title : Assessing quality of content on TikTok: Postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome
Abstract:
Background: According to a study conducted in 2020 there is a prevalence of .2% of the general population living with Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome. However, due to the covid-19 pandemic, rates of diagnosis are on the rise and therefore there are increased discussions on social media over the possibility of underdiagnosis. With over 1.092 billion adult users globally, TikTok has been increasingly utilized for health education. Postural Orthostatic tachycardia syndrome has become a popular health topic on TikTok with both clinicians and non-clinicians. As a result, concerns over misinformation about POTS have been on the rise.
Methods: 3 separate TikTok accounts were created with anonymous usernames, each set to a birthdate of January 1, 1999, and a gender of non-binary. No interests were selected on these accounts to minimize the influence of the algorithm. Videos were sourced through the TikTok search function using the terms “Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome”, “Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome diagnosis”, and “Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome treatment”. A total of 100 videos were selected for review. Each video was evaluated using the DISCERN tool and the Global Quality Score (GQS) system to assess the quality of content related to POTS. The mean DISCERN score and GQS was then calculated for the entire sample, the content made by physicians, and the content made by non-physicians. The content made by physicians vs non-physicians was compared using a p-value.
Results: A total of 100 videos were analyzed, with 21% of the videos published by clinicians and 79% by non-clinicians. The majority of videos focused on identifying symptoms that correlate with an POTS diagnosis, often times through personal experience. The mean scores for DISCERN and GQS were 35.99 ± 8.86 and 8.51 ± 1.96, respectively. Physicians posted the highest scores with a mean score using DISCERN (45.55 ± 9.29), and non-physicians had a mean DISCERN score (33.46 ± 6.94). Clinicians had a significantly higher score via DISCERN when compared to non-clinicians (p-value < 0.001).
Conclusions: The average DISCERN and GGS scores of the TikToks analyzed in this study show that TikTok overall has low quality information on POTS. A majority of the content was focused on diagnostic criteria, failing to include sources and discuss treatment options. Content by physicians had significantly higher DISCERN than those created by non-clinicians. Physicians on TikTok should include treatment options, sources of information for users to review, and encourage shared decision making with providers. This study did not receive any compensation.
