Clinical ResearchYouTube as a Source of Medical Information About Spinal Cord Stimulation
Section snippets
INTRODUCTION
Approximately 20% of adults in the United States have a diagnosis of chronic pain(1). Chronic pain can be debilitating and is commonly associated with impairments in physical and emotional functioning. Spinal cord stimulation (SCS) is a form of neuromodulation that provides electrical stimulation to the spinal cord which interferes with the transmission of pain signals to the brain(2). SCS has been associated with reductions in pain scores, improvements in physical and emotional functioning,
Study Protocol
An a priori protocol was followed.
Search Strategy
The YouTube platform (www.youtube.com) was queried using keywords “spinal cord stimulator,” “spinal cord stimulation experience,” and “spinal cord stimulation risks” from inception to May 20, 2020 using the default view count filter. The search was restricted to the first 50 most viewed videos for each search term based on the view count filter.
Video Selection Process
Inclusion criteria for videos included 1) primary content related to SCS and 2) English language. Exclusion criteria
RESULTS
A total of 117 videos were reviewed and 103 met inclusion criteria (Fig. 1). Seventy-nine (77%) videos were classified as useful, 15 (14%) were classified as misleading, and 9 (9%) were classified as neither.
DISCUSSION
The main finding of this study was that 77% of YouTube videos provide useful information about SCS. Videos produced by hospitals, group practices or physicians were more likely to be categorized as useful, but videos produced by nonmedical independent users were more likely to be misleading or to provide neither useful nor misleading content. These observations are consistent with other studies appraising medical information from YouTube, which have demonstrated that accurate, high-quality
CONCLUSION
With the continued growth of social media, sites such as YouTube are used to help disseminate medical information to patients from both reliable and unreliable sources. Although independent users may provide valuable patient experiences, there is a possibility that the information provided may contain nonfactual information. To help increase the number of reliable sources and to help educate patients on SCS, professional societies such as AAPM, ASRA, and NANS should consider creating and
Authorship Statements
Dr. Langford devised study plan, collected data, and wrote manuscript. Dr. Hooten aided in study design, interpretation of data, and revised manuscript critically for intellectual content. Mr. Shawn D’Souza aided in acquisition of data and drafting of paper. Dr. Moeschler aided in study design, interpretation of data, and revised manuscript critically for intellectual content. Dr. Ryan D’Souza devised study plan, interpreted and analyzed data, generated figures, and wrote manuscript. All
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Efficacy of Neuromodulation Interventions for the Treatment of Sexual Dysfunction: A Systematic Review
2023, NeuromodulationCitation Excerpt :Adverse-event data also need to be highlighted as more evidence accumulates for neuromodulation interventions in this patient population with sexual dysfunction.85 As the application of neuromodulation therapy becomes more prominent and common for a variety of disorders, dissemination of accurate information and education for physicians and patients will be paramount.86 A final important area for further research is on patients with certain risk factors.
Incidence of Neuraxial and Non-Neuraxial Hematoma Complications From Spinal Cord Stimulator Surgery: Systematic Review and Proportional Meta-Analysis
2023, NeuromodulationCitation Excerpt :Future studies should investigate how specific complication rates, informed by meta-analyses and large database studies, can be incorporated in informed consent discussions with patients. This is particularly important because studies have highlighted that patients may be exposed to inaccurate and misleading information on pain-related procedures and neuromodulation interventions.68,69 Finally, future studies could use similar methods to look for rates of other SCS complications, such as infection or cerebrospinal fluid leak.
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