YouTube as a Source of Hidradenitis Suppurativa Patient Education: A Social Media Content Analysis

Abstract

Hidradenitis suppurativa (HS) is a chronic and painful skin condition that is difficult to treat. Patients commonly navigate YouTube's platform for insight into different treatment options; thus, we analyzed the content and quality of the top 100 HS videos to assess which treatment options were most favored. Our study indicated a growing number of informational videos on the platform over 10 years, with the majority of the content from the United States. Surgical videos had higher view counts than nonsurgical ones, even though the level of engagement measured by likes and comments was similar between the two. There were no differences in the presented tone between the two categories. Overall, YouTube videos have a moderate quality with no serious shortcomings based on a previously validated DISCERN instrument score. Healthcare professionals treating HS patients should continue to direct patients to evidenced-based sources of reliable information on their condition.