Percutaneous nephrolithotomy on YouTube: Valuable educational resource for urologists and patients or misleading information?
5 affiliations
- 1Department of Surgical and Diagnostic Integrated Sciences (DISC), University of Genoa, Italy.
- 2IRCCS Ospedale Policlinico San Martino, Genoa, Italy.
- 3Division of Urology, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Stellenbosch University and Tygerberg Hospital, Cape Town, South Africa.
- 4Department of Urology, San Paolo Hospital, Milan, Italy.
- 5UOC Urologia, E.O. Ospedali Galliera, Genoa, Italy.
Abstract
Introduction
To evaluate the quality, reliability, and educational value of YouTube videos related to percutaneous nephrolithotomy (PCNL), with a specific focus on the content available for urologists and patients seeking information online.Material and methods
A systematic YouTube search using the key words "PCNL" and "percutaneous nephrolithotomy" was conducted. Videos were included if they were in English, had audio, and were relevant to PCNL. Two expert urologists independently evaluated each video. Collected data included upload year, video length, content type, target audience, source, geographic origin, and surgical position. The quality of the videos was assessed using the DISCERN instrument and Global Quality Score (GQS).Results
Of 65 identified videos, 26 met inclusion criteria. Most were aimed at healthcare professionals (84.6%) and were uploaded by physicians (65.4%). Only 15.4% were patient-oriented. The prone position was depicted in 84.6% of videos. The median duration was 7 minutes 58 seconds. The median view ratio was 102.3 views/day. The median DISCERN score was 2 (IQR 1), and the median GQS score was 3 (IQR 1.375), reflecting moderate educational quality.Conclusions
YouTube contains a moderate-quality body of PCNL videos primarily designed for professional audiences. There is a clear shortage of reliable, patient-centered educational content. Healthcare organizations and scientific societies should proactively develop and promote accessible, high-quality educational resources for patients.
Related
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BibTeX
@article{mantica2026percutaneous,
title = {{Percutaneous nephrolithotomy on YouTube: Valuable educational resource for urologists and patients or misleading information?}},
author = {Guglielmo Mantica and Giovanni Drocchi and Rafaela Malinaric and Federica Balzarini and Valentina Catale and Pieter Spies and André Van der Merwe and Daniele Panarello and Francesco Chierigo and Federico Dotta and Matteo Ferro and Carlo Introini and Carlo Terrone},
journal = {Central European journal of urology},
year = {2026},
month = jul,
doi = {10.5173/ceju.2025.0240},
url = {https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42903610},
note = {CC BY-NC-SA},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Percutaneous nephrolithotomy on YouTube: Valuable educational resource for urologists and patients or misleading information?
AU - Guglielmo Mantica
AU - Giovanni Drocchi
AU - Rafaela Malinaric
AU - Federica Balzarini
AU - Valentina Catale
AU - Pieter Spies
AU - André Van der Merwe
AU - Daniele Panarello
AU - Francesco Chierigo
AU - Federico Dotta
AU - Matteo Ferro
AU - Carlo Introini
AU - Carlo Terrone
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/07/07
JO - Central European journal of urology
DO - 10.5173/ceju.2025.0240
UR - https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42903610
AB - Introduction To evaluate the quality, reliability, and educational value of YouTube videos related to percutaneous nephrolithotomy (PCNL), with a specific focus on the content available for urologists and patients seeking information online.Material and methods A systematic YouTube search using the key words "PCNL" and "percutaneous nephrolithotomy" was conducted. Videos were included if they were in English, had audio, and were relevant to PCNL. Two expert urologists independently evaluated each video. Collected data included upload year, video length, content type, target audience, source, geographic origin, and surgical position. The quality of the videos was assessed using the DISCERN instrument and Global Quality Score (GQS).Results Of 65 identified videos, 26 met inclusion criteria. Most were aimed at healthcare professionals (84.6%) and were uploaded by physicians (65.4%). Only 15.4% were patient-oriented. The prone position was depicted in 84.6% of videos. The median duration was 7 minutes 58 seconds. The median view ratio was 102.3 views/day. The median DISCERN score was 2 (IQR 1), and the median GQS score was 3 (IQR 1.375), reflecting moderate educational quality.Conclusions YouTube contains a moderate-quality body of PCNL videos primarily designed for professional audiences. There is a clear shortage of reliable, patient-centered educational content. Healthcare organizations and scientific societies should proactively develop and promote accessible, high-quality educational resources for patients.
SN - 2080-4806
SN - 2080-4873
ER -