Analysis of YouTube videos on hydrocephalus in the local language: matching content with the needs of caregivers.

Objective: Studies that evaluate YouTube videos on hydrocephalus often exclude non-English-language videos, even though hydrocephalus is more prevalent in low- and middle-income countries where English may not be widely understood. This study had two aims: to analyze the engagement, content, and quality of YouTube videos on hydrocephalus in the Filipino language, and to determine whether the videos' content matched the information needs of caregivers of children with hydrocephalus in the Philippines.

Methods: The authors conducted an online survey among caregivers of patients with hydrocephalus, recruited through the Facebook page of the Hydrocephalus Foundation of the Philippines Inc. Data on demographics, social media use, and language and content preferences were collected. In parallel, the authors systematically evaluated the engagement and content of three groups of YouTube videos on hydrocephalus: 1) most viewed Filipino-language videos, 2) most viewed English-language videos, and 3) same-age English-language videos, matched to the first group based on upload date. The quality of the Filipino-language videos was assessed using the DISCERN criteria.

Results: Among 280 respondents, 91% watched videos on hydrocephalus online and 89% preferred videos in Filipino. Compared with same-age English videos, Filipino videos had greater engagement, indicated by a higher median number of likes (40 vs 8, p = 0.005) and comments (8.5 vs 1, p = 0.007). English and Filipino videos emphasized similar topics on hydrocephalus, but the latter were more likely to discuss treatment cost and to solicit donations. Caregivers were most interested in the long-term care of patients with hydrocephalus, discussed only in 10 of 72 videos (14%) overall. The mean DISCERN score for Filipino videos was 30.1 ± 7.7, indicating poor quality.

Conclusions: There is a gap between the information needs of Filipino caregivers and the content of YouTube videos on hydrocephalus. Neurosurgeons can serve as creators, resource persons, or curators of content, ensuring that up-to-date, accurate, and credible health information on hydrocephalus is available to caregivers in their preferred language.