Social media as a source of information for Spanish-speaking patients with heart failure

Introduction and objectives: Most patients with heart failure (HF) seek information about their disease on the Internet, especially on social networks. The reliability, completeness and quality of this information in Spanish has not yet been studied. Methods: Analytical observational study that included videos in Spanish about HF available on Facebook and YouTube. The general characteristics, engagement, and generating sources are described. Standardized tools were used to assess reliability (DISCERN), comprehensiveness, and global quality (Global Quality Score [GQS]). Results: A total of 165 videos were included, 92 from YouTube and 73 from Facebook. The median number of reproductions was 6694 (interquartile range [IQR] [1216-19 015]), with a median duration of 6.7 min [2.38-30.21], and a median of 873 days on the internet [435-1909]. Most of the videos were uploaded by professional organizations or academic channels (47.27%). Reliability (DISCERN) had a median of 3 [3-4], comprehensiveness (content score) had a median of 3 (1-4), and GQS value had a median of 3 [2-3]. The GQS was higher for YouTube (median 3 [3-3.25]) compared to Facebook (median 2 [2-3]) (P < .001). The evaluation scores were similar between different generating sources. Conclusions: Our results suggest that videos on HF in Spanish on social networks such as YouTube and Facebook have good reliability and comprehensiveness, with a better quality of content found in YouTube videos.