29 - TikTok and Pediatric Nephrology: Content Quality Assessment of Videos Related to Pediatric Kidney Disease and Kidney Transplant

Poster Number: 29
Publication Number: 29.1653

Background: The use of social media to obtain medical information is growing, particularly among adolescents and young parents. Studies evaluating content about pediatric urologic conditions on TikTok, a popular social media platform, uncovered a significant amount of unreliable health information. Limited data exists on pediatric kidney disease or transplant TikTok videos (TTVs).

Objective: (1) Describe characteristics of TTVs discussing pediatric kidney disease and transplant.
(2) Evaluate the scientific accuracy and reliability of educational TTVs.

Design/Methods: TTVs were selected using specific search terms related to pediatric kidney disease and transplant created after 01/01/20. Exclusion criteria included duplicate content and videos focused on adults. TTVs were categorized into general pediatric nephrology and kidney transplant. The top 100 videos in each category, based on views, were analyzed. Video characteristics were stratified by account type [physician, non-physician healthcare professional (HCP), or non-HCP] and video aim (personal story, education, or entertainment). Educational videos were qualitatively assessed for factual accuracy using reliable sources (i.e. PubMed®, UpToDate) to identify misinformation. Quantitative analysis, conducted by 4 independent raters, used DISCERN scoring, a validated questionnaire evaluating health information reliability (15 questions, graded on a Likert scale 1-5). Higher scores indicated sources of reliable health information.

Results: Of the 200 TTVs evaluated, 110 were personal stories, 71 were educational, and 19 were entertaining. Additionally, 147 were created by non-HCPs, 31 by physicians, and 22 by non-physician HCPs (Tables 1, 2). The videos garnered 12.5 million likes and 113.1 million views. Among educational kidney disease videos (n = 52), 25% (n=11) contained inaccurate information, with 11.53% (n=6) recommending unscientific treatments. For educational kidney transplant videos (n=19), 10.53% (n=2) contained misinformation, including one video with inaccurate post-transplant care recommendations. Low DISCERN scores were seen in both groups. For kidney disease, physicians scored 2.85 points higher than non-HCPs (p < 0.001), while non-physician HCPs scored 2.48 points higher than non-HCPs (p=0.005). No significant differences in DISCERN scores were found for kidney transplant videos (Table 3).

Conclusion(s): TTVs on pediatric kidney disease and transplant contain significant unreliable health information across content creators, with some videos disseminating inaccurate health recommendations. These findings can guide HCPs in dispelling misinformation.