Are Heimlich maneuver videos on YouTube accurate and reliable?

Introduction. First aid for airway obstruction is a life-saving maneuver that can be implemented by anyone. In this study, we determined the accuracy of Heimlich maneuver videos posted on the Internet. Materials and methods. Heimlich maneuver videos uploaded on to YouTube were evaluated. We recorded by whom the video was uploaded, upload time, the number of viewers, and to whom it was intended. Scores from 0 to 7 were used to evaluate video suitability. Data were analyzed using SPSS 20.0 for Windows software. A p-value < 0.05 was considered to indicate significance. Results. A total of 640 videos were evaluated; 466 (72.8%) videos were excluded because their content was primarily for entertainment purposes. In total, 174 videos met the inclusion criteria and were subjected to analysis. Of the 174 videos analyzed, 54(31%) were uploaded anonymously, the mean number of viewers was 26,814 +/- 4,860, and the median video duration was 4.19 min (range, 0.06-114 min). The mean video score was 2.7 +/- 1.6. Using this value as a cut-off, a significant relationship between reliability and uploading institution was detected (p <= 0.05), but not between the number of views and reliability (p = 0.428). Conclusion. Our results suggest that Heimlich maneuver videos uploaded to YouTube were not particularly educational because only 13% of the videos received an above-average score.