YouTube as a source of premature ejaculation

Abstract

Introduction and objectives

To evaluate the quality of information in You Tube videos pertaining to premature ejaculation.

Materials and methods

A search for “premature ejaculation” (PE) was performed on You Tube in August 2018. Two senior urologist viewers watched and categorized each video for their sources, suggestions and information contents (excellent, fair or poor).

Results

Of the three hundred videos viewed on You Tube, 155 videos were included and analyzed. Mean video length (mean ± standard deviation) was 3.08 ± 2.02 min. The information content was excellent only in 17 (10.9%) of all videos while for a majority of them it was poor (57.4% n = 89). Fair videos constituted 31.7% (n = 49) of the videos. There was no relation between the trustworthiness of the videos’ contents and either their viewings or ratings (p = 0.561, p = 0.0966, respectively). Videos uploaded by health professionals were more reliable than those uploaded by laypersons (p < 0.001).

Conclusions

The study suggests that although some videos, especially those uploaded by healthcare professionals, are useful; the majority of them have misleading information. Therefore, they are not a reliable source of PE information for patients. It is incumbent on urologists to counsel patients for other available useful internet information sources on PE.

Resumen

Introducción y objetivos

Evaluar la calidad de la información de los vídeos de YouTube relacionados con la eyaculación precoz (EP).

Materiales y métodos

Se realizó una búsqueda en YouTube sobre EP en agosto de 2018. Dos urólogos con experiencia vieron y clasificaron cada vídeo por sus fuentes, sugerencias y contenido científico (excelente, aceptable o deficiente).

Resultados

De los 300 vídeos vistos en YouTube, se incluyeron y analizaron 155 vídeos. La duración media del vídeo (media ± desviación estándar) fue de 3,08 ± 2,02 min. El contenido científico fue excelente solo en 17 (10,9%) de todos los vídeos, mientras que en la mayoría de ellos esta fue deficiente (57,4%; n = 89). Los vídeos aceptables constituyeron el 31,7% (n = 49). No hubo relación entre la fiabilidad de los contenidos de los vídeos y el número de visualizaciones o las valoraciones de los usuarios (p = 0,561; p = 0,0966, respectivamente). Los vídeos subidos por profesionales sanitarios fueron más fiables que los subidos por profanos (p < 0,001).

Conclusiones

El estudio sugiere que, aunque algunos vídeos, especialmente aquellos publicados por profesionales sanitarios, son útiles, la mayoría de ellos contienen información engañosa. Por tanto, no son una fuente fiable de información sobre la EP para los pacientes. Les corresponde a los urólogos aconsejar a los pacientes sobre otras fuentes de información disponibles en Internet que resulten útiles.

Introduction

Premature ejaculation (PE) is a common male sexual dysfunction with a prevalence varying from 19.8% to 55%.1, 2 Men with PE report a low degree of satisfaction with their sexual relationship, low satisfaction in sexual intercourse, difficulty relaxing during intercourse, and less frequent intercourse.3, 4 However, the negative effect of PE extends beyond sexual dysfunction. PE can negatively affect self-confidence as well as the relationship with the partner, and can result in mental distress, anxiety, embarrassment and depression.⁵ However, a recent report indicated that only 9% of men with self-reported PE discussed their condition with a physician.⁶ Embarrassment and believing that there is no effective treatment are the major reasons for not seeking advice on PE with their doctor.7, 8

More and more, sites with video content are considered to be valid sources of information. You Tube, the most popular of these sites, has more than 2 billion views each day, with a new video uploaded on average every minute and the typical user spending at least 15 min each day on the site.9, 10 Recent reports have shown a significant increase in the use of the internet for obtaining health information.11, 12 However, healthcare providers and government agencies are concerned about the accuracy and quality of the information given on the internet, for two main reasons: the increased use of You Tube to present subjective information and, more importantly, a lack of guidelines and monitoring of the content of the information on the site. These issues raise questions of the reliability of this information and the risk of propagating misleading information.13, 14, 15, 16

Use of You Tube as a source of information has not yet been evaluated. In the present study, we aimed to evaluate the quality of information in You Tube videos pertaining to premature ejaculation.