Assessing the Validity and Accuracy of Online Videos on Vaccine Health Risks

Incongruent vaccination rates have been found in multiple US cities, one cause possibly being misleading information that is easily available on the internet through text and videos. Health care providers should be aware of the extent and content of online health information available to patients and their guardians to enhance the effectiveness of patient-physician communication. This study obtained data on vaccine-related YouTube videos and analyzed the videos’ content. When misleading information was found in a video, the timing and specific type of misleading information was noted. More than two thirds of the YouTube videos contained some type of unreliable information regarding vaccine safety and effectiveness. Much of the information accessible to patients and parents vaccinating their children is misleading to a potentially dangerous extent. Health care providers should be aware of and able to provide clear counter-evidence to misleading information on YouTube in light of the findings.