YouTube as a Source of Information for Otago Exercises

Objective:YouTube is a popular video-sharing source for patient education, though there are concerns regarding the reliability and quality of videos related to older adults exercises. This study aims to evaluate the reliability and quality of videos on YouTube related to Otago exercises.Methods:The keywords "Otago exercise" and "Otago exercise program" were searched and 60 videos were selected for each keyword, sorted by number of views. Video metrics and upload sources were documented. The modified (m) DISCERN score and the Global Quality Score (GQS) were used to evaluate the reliability and quality of the videos, respectively.Results:The analysis revealed a predominance of low reliability (median mDISCERN score:2), and moderate quality (median GQS score:3). Videos originating from physiotherapists received a greater number of views, likes, comments, subscribers, and overall popularity compared to content from other sources. Specifically, videos endorsed by physiotherapists demonstrated higher levels of reliability, accounting for 31.2% of the shared videos. However, it is important to note that the shared videos are generally unreliable (P = .001). The analysis revealed that the majority of the videos exhibited a high level of quality. However, this observation did not yield a statistically significant variance (P = .237).Conclusion:The results showed that the overall reliability of Otago exercise videos on YouTube was low, but the quality was intermediate to high. Development of high quality and reliability content about Otago exercises is needed.