Youtube as a source of information vagal nerve stimulation: A quality analysis

PURPOSE

To evaluate the quality of available information on Youtube videos about VNS as a "source of health information" for patients with drug resistant epilepsy.

METHODS

Youtube videos were searched and screened using the terms "VNS for seizures," and "VNS surgery," "VNS epilepsy" in May 2023. The quality of the videos was evaluated the Quality Criteria for Consumer Health Information (DISCERN) and Global Quality Scale (GQS). The videos were analyzed in terms of content, accuracy, reliability, and quality.

RESULTS

A total of 104 videos were searched. After excluding duplicate or inappropriate videos, 51 videos were analyzed. Youtube videos about vagal nerve stimulation are mostly on general information, surgical procedures, patient experiences and magnet use. When video sources are examined according to the quality, according to GQS, 75 % of high quality videos were narrated by physicians, all intermediate quality videos were narrated by physicians, and low quality ones narrated by physicians were 47.4 % and 28.9 % by the patients. All of the videos narrated by the patients were of low quality. There was a significant and strong correlation between GQS and Discern score (r = 0.807, p < 0.001). Only GQS scores of videos with different content were found to be statistically significant (p < 0.05). Two pediatric neurologists independently reviewed the videos and classified the videos as useful or misleading according to the GQS, DISCERN scala. The overall κ value for interobserver consistency according to Global Quality Scale was 0.781 (p < 0.001). (95 % confidence interval), indicating a very good level of agreement.

CONCLUSION

Youtube videos may provide a worthful source for patients and parents seeking to find more information about VNS However incorrect information could easily be disseminated by high number of views of videos with low quality. High skilled and experienced professionals should create videos on Youtube to ensure that patients and parents can access more useful, high-quality, and accurate information on VNS.

Determination of Turkish norms of psychometric tests for diagnosing minimal hepatic encephalopathy and proposal of a high sensitive screening test battery

BACKGROUND

Psychometric hepatic encephalopathy score (PHES) needs local standardization.

AIMS

This study aimed at standardizing PHES for Turkish patients and compare them with German norms; to determine minimal hepatic encephalopathy (mHE) prevalence with two different methods [PHES battery and Critical Flicker Frequency (CFF)] and to assess whether sub-tests of the battery can be used for screening for mHE.

METHODS

Healthy volunteers (n = 816; 400 male) and cirrhotics (n = 124; 58 male) were included. For mHE diagnosis PHES score threshold was set at ≤ - 5 points and that of CFF at < 39 Hz. For comparing German and Turkish norms, datasets were combined. Multiple backward procedure was applied to assess effects of age, sex and education on single tests of the battery. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were created for assessing diagnostic capabilities of subtests of the battery.

RESULTS

PHES norms for Turks were developed. MHE prevalence in compensated cirrhotics was 29.8% and 27.4% with PHES and CFF tests, respectively, with low compatibility (kappa coefficient 0.389); mHE prevalence decreased to 16% when both tests were combined. Turks performed worse vs Germans in the digit symbol (DS) and serial dotting (SD) subtests but performed better in other subtests. In ROC analyzes of subtests, the combination of DS + SD tests achieved an AUROC of 0.974 versus PHES.

CONCLUSIONS

Use of two methods for diagnosing mHE is important for research purposes. From a clinical perspective, sensitivity with acceptable specificity may suffice for screening instruments for mHE. Combined use of DS and SD subtests of the PHES battery appears suitable for this purpose.