Evaluating the quality and reliability of YouTube videos about sepsis

Sepsis and septic shock affect millions of people worldwide annually, causing substantial morbidity and mortality. Early diagnosis and timely intervention are lifesaving, and guidelines emphasize patient and family education to raise community awareness. This study aimed to assess the quality, reliability, popularity, and engagement metrics of sepsis-related YouTube videos. In this cross-sectional analysis, the top 100 YouTube videos retrieved using the keyword “sepsis” were evaluated on October 30, 2023. Videos were classified according to their source and content characteristics. Quality, reliability, and accuracy were assessed using the Global Quality Score (GQS), Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) benchmark criteria, and modified Quality Criteria for Consumer Health Information on Treatment Choices questionnaire. Of the analyzed videos, 43% contained animations, and 62% were uploaded by healthcare professionals. The median view count was 16,971 (range: 123–1,914,817), with a median view ratio of 17.36 (range: 0.14–1748.69). Statistically significant differences in view ratios were found for animation, video source, GQS, and JAMA scores ( P  = .007, P  = .012, P  < .001, and P  = .026). The median Video Power Index was 16.93 (range: 0–1686.16), with statistically significant differences in animation, video source, GQS, and JAMA scores ( P  = .010, P  = .014, P  < .001, and P  = .026). Median scores were 2 for GQS (range: 1–5), 2 for JAMA (range: 0–4), and 2 for modified Quality Criteria for Consumer Health Information on Treatment Choices (range: 1–5). Sepsis-related YouTube videos containing animations were viewed more frequently, whereas those uploaded by healthcare professionals achieved higher quality and reliability scores. These results indicate that both animation and credible sources strongly influence viewers’ engagement and educational quality.