Assessing the Quality of Rosacea Treatment Content on TikTok: A Cross-Sectional Analysis
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Keywords
rosacea, social media, dermatology, TikTok, DISCERN analysis, social media influencers
Abstract
TikTok’s rapid growth has made it a key source of dermatologic information. Dermatologists are increasingly leveraging social media to disseminate medical knowledge and to counteract misinformation, particularly in response to the growing influence of non-physician creators. We conducted a cross-sectional analysis evaluating the quality of rosacea-related content on TikTok. We reviewed the top videos identified via TikTok’s algorithm, using the search terms “rosacea” and “rosacea treatment” on March 5, 2024. A total of 98 videos were included and categorized by creator type: physicians, medical influencers, and non-medical influencers. Using the DISCERN analysis tool, two board-certified dermatologists independently assessed the videos. The overall mean DISCERN score was 2.724, indicating shortcomings in the quality of health information. Dermatologist-created videos that focused on treatment received a higher mean DISCERN score of 3.360 compared to non-physician content score of 2.412 (p<0.001). Cohen’s kappa was 0.108 (p=0.0294), reflecting low agreement between evaluators. As social media continues to grow in importance for education, patient engagement, and treatment options, dermatologists will play a key role in shaping the quality of online medical information.
References
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