IADR Abstract Archives
Social Media Patient Testimonials in Implant dentistry: Information or Misinformation?
Objectives: Youtube is a convenient platform for seeking healthcare information and there is evidence that is utilised with increasing frequency by patients prior to requesting elective healthcare services. Patient testimonials are shown to influence patients’ healthcare decisions. This study aims to assess the educational value and reliability of information provided by Youtube patient testimonial videos in implant dentistry, as well as investigate riskl for misleading statements, and qualitatively analyse the themes mentioned.
Methods: Videos were sampled consecutively on Youtube, using the keywords “dental implant patients' testimonials experience”, sorted “by relevance”. Videos that included a patient’s personal account of dental implant treatment were examined, regardless of the upload source. Inaudible videos, and those not presented in English, were excluded. Four calibrated investigators scored the videos for educational content, using a matrix derived from the European Association for Osseointegration information booklet, and demographic details recorded. Data was analysed qualitatively through inductive thematic analysis.
Results: From the first 250 video titles, 26 were excluded after screening and 11 after examination of footage. 170 of the consecutively sampled videos were included for analysis. Inter-examiner reliability, using Cohen’s kappa, showed fair to moderate agreement on what constituted as informative statements (0.29 to 0.44) and poor to good agreement for misleading (-0.08 to 0.61). A mean of 1.8 informative statements were made per video, compared to misleading, 0.5. 14% of videos offered neither informative nor misleading statements. Informative statements mainly addressed the propensity for implants to improve aesthetics and function, whilst aspects of pain control tended to be misleading. A common theme involved patients sharing bad previous experiences with traditional prostheses.
Conclusions: Despite Youtube being a promising tool for dissemination, balanced presentation may be limited by a strong presence of clinician-uploaded content. Maximisation of magnitude and breadth of information would lead to improvements in educational value. Misleading statements occurred less often, although better explanation of pain management is required.
Methods: Videos were sampled consecutively on Youtube, using the keywords “dental implant patients' testimonials experience”, sorted “by relevance”. Videos that included a patient’s personal account of dental implant treatment were examined, regardless of the upload source. Inaudible videos, and those not presented in English, were excluded. Four calibrated investigators scored the videos for educational content, using a matrix derived from the European Association for Osseointegration information booklet, and demographic details recorded. Data was analysed qualitatively through inductive thematic analysis.
Results: From the first 250 video titles, 26 were excluded after screening and 11 after examination of footage. 170 of the consecutively sampled videos were included for analysis. Inter-examiner reliability, using Cohen’s kappa, showed fair to moderate agreement on what constituted as informative statements (0.29 to 0.44) and poor to good agreement for misleading (-0.08 to 0.61). A mean of 1.8 informative statements were made per video, compared to misleading, 0.5. 14% of videos offered neither informative nor misleading statements. Informative statements mainly addressed the propensity for implants to improve aesthetics and function, whilst aspects of pain control tended to be misleading. A common theme involved patients sharing bad previous experiences with traditional prostheses.
Conclusions: Despite Youtube being a promising tool for dissemination, balanced presentation may be limited by a strong presence of clinician-uploaded content. Maximisation of magnitude and breadth of information would lead to improvements in educational value. Misleading statements occurred less often, although better explanation of pain management is required.