‘ YouTube on surgery spreads false information’

Washington, Aug. 19: In the first study to evaluate YouTube videos on facial plastic surgery procedures, scientists have found that most are misleading marketing campaigns posted by non- qualified medical professionals.

The millions of people who turn to YouTube as a source for education on facial plastic surgery receive a false understanding that does not include the risks or alternative options, said lead author Boris Paskhover, an assistant professor at Rutgers University in the US.

“Videos on facial plastic surgery may be mainly marketing campaigns and may not fully be intended as educational,” Paskhover said.

Researchers evaluated 240 top- viewed videos with 160 million combined views that resulted from keyword searches for ‘ blepharoplasty,’ ‘ eyelid surgery,’ ‘ dermal fillers,’ ‘ facial fillers,’ ‘ otoplasty,’ ‘ ear surgery,’ ‘ rhytidectomy,’ or ‘ nose job.’

They evaluated the videos using DISCERN criteria, a scale for assessing the quality of medical information presented online or in other media, which takes into account risks, a discussion of non- surgical options and the validity of the information presented.

The researchers also evaluated the people who posted the videos, including whether they were health care professionals, patients or third parties. Physicians were rated by their board status.