First aid in snakebites: an evaluation of the usefulness and quality of YouTube videos

Abstract Aim: YouTube has become an increasingly used platform for obtaining health information such as first aid knowledge of snake bites rescuers in recent years. Aim of the study is to evaluate the quality of existing YouTube videos on first aid interventions for snake bites and whether they are of an educational nature. Materials and Methods: Descriptive study. On February 20, 2021, determined search terms such as; “Snake bite emergency aid, Snake bite treatment medicine, first aid in snake bite“ were searched separately on YouTube (https://youtube.com). A total of 360 YouTube videos were listed. It was analyzed according to the Global Quality Scale (GQS) developed to evaluate internet-based resources and the DISCERN scale developed to determine reliability. Results: A total of 72 videos meeting the criteria were identified. The median duration of the videos were 292 seconds. The median number of views were 13.8, the number of comments were 0.01, likes were 0.11, and the number of dislikes were 0.01. When the DISCERN scores and uploaded sources were compared, significant differences were found (p = 0.031). DISCERN scores of videos shared by doctors were found to be significantly higher than other sources (p