Concerned about the accuracy of information on “Medical TikTok,” researchers from University of Michigan conducted a study to characterize the quality and reach of asthma-related content on the platform.
RT’s Three Takeaways
- TikTok serves as a significant platform for asthma education, offering both opportunities and challenges due to its wide reach and engaging format.1
- An analysis of the top 100 asthma-related videos reveals an apparent inverse relationship in the quality/accuracy of health information and the amount of engagement.1
- Healthcare professionals must address misinformation and leverage digital platforms effectively for patient education to ensure dissemination of accurate health information.1
Their research, published online in Cureus, revealed that the asthma content with the most TikTok engagement was not from physicians or pulmonologists. In fact, the most engagement was from creators labeled “private company.”
Researchers recognized that the platform is significant medium for health information dissemination, with substantial potential for impact in patient education. “The dynamism of TikTok not only offers opportunities for health professionals to engage with diverse populations but also presents challenges concerning the accuracy and reliability of disseminated content,” the authors wrote.1
Analyzing Asthma Content on TikTok
Researchers analyzed1 the top 100 TikTok videos tagged with #asthma at two different periods: June 2023 and January 2024. Videos were assessed based on engagement metrics and quality using the DISCERN instrument — a tool that provides insights into content quality (by labeling them with a score from 1 (lowest) to 5 (highest).1
Videos were categorized into four different creator groups: physicians, non-physicians, private companies, and other health professions. According to analysis, physicians created the largest percentage of videos (35%), however, private company videos dominated all engagement metrics, such as views, likes, comments, shares, and favorites. These private company videos also had a lower DISCERN score than those created by physicians or non-physicians, according to data.1
Asthma-related TikTok Content (June 2023)1
| Average views | Percentage of videos | Average views | Average likes | Average comments | Average shares | Average favorites | DISCERN score |
| Physician | 35% | 84,286 | 4189 | 179 | 1078 | 1375 | 1.201 |
| Non-physician | 31 | 128,338 | 17,328 | 213 | 913 | 1403 | 1.234 |
| Private company | 19 | 355,369 | 25,786 | 994 | 1814 | 3402 | 1.194 |
| Other health Profession | 15 | 179,487 | 6253 | 167 | 1225 | 1956 | 1.191 |
Analysis of content creators found that 65% of creators were male, and analysis of content themes revealed that educational content (35%) and personal experiences (20%) were the most frequent types of videos.1
Video Health Information Credibility Score
To aid their analysis researchers created a “Video Health Information Credibility Score,” an assessment tool to quantitatively assess the credibility, clarity, and relevance of health information presented in TikTok videos.1 The VHICS tool is specifically tailored for video content, whereas the DISCERN scoring system is typically used for print/written content.
Researchers concluded: “VHICS would provide a structured and comprehensive approach to evaluate health-related video content on social media, offering an essential tool for researchers, healthcare professionals, and even general users to assess the quality of information being disseminated on platforms like TikTok.”1
Reference
- Irfan B, et al. Breath of Change: Evaluating Asthma Information on TikTok and Introducing the Video Health Information Credibility Score. 2024 Feb 15. Cureus 16(2): e54247. doi:10.7759/cureus.54247
