News
YouTube can provide good information for patients on primary bone tumours, study reveals
Seventy-four per cent of videos on YouTube provide helpful and accurate information for patients about primary bone tumours, accord- ing to a new study published in the Royal Col- lege of Surgeons of England Bulletin. The study, carried out at the Newcastle
upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, aimed to investigate whether YouTube, which has over 2 billion views per day and 24 hours of video uploaded per minute, was a useful or misleading guide for patients with primary bone tumours. The clinicians involved in the research found that while 24% of videos con- tained no useful information, only 2% were misleading. Primary bone tumours make up 3-5% of
childhood cancers and less than 1% of cancers in adults, yet delays in diagnosis are common and lack of awareness is contributory. The study is important as it examines an area of health information provision for this patient
group that is widely used but not extensively researched. It demonstrates that YouTube can help raise awareness, be a source of good in- formation and provide an important step in re- ducing late diagnosis of Primary bone tumours. The authors of the paper searched the site using key words, including ‘primary bone tu- mour’ and ‘primary bone cancer’. All videos uploaded since the advent of the site in 2005 were included in the search. A number of data items were obtained from each video, includ- ing the source of the video and the number of likes/dislikes that the video had. Overall, around three quarters of the videos were helpful. These were provided by medical professionals, health information websites and universities and contained accurate informa- tion on symptoms, diagnosis and treatment. Over a third (36%) of videos provided by inde- pendent users contained no information. Craig Gerrand, Consultant Orthopaedic
Surgeon, co-author of the report, and Trustee of the Bone Cancer Research Trust said: ‘Vid- eo has become one of the most popular sources of information on the Internet, and our study shows that good information can be found on YouTube when viewers use the right search terms. However, we recommend that they check the source of the video first, and con- sider watching several videos to get a good sample of what is available. The popularity of videos isn’t a reliable guide to their quality.’ Sue Woodward, chair of the Patient Liaison Group of the Royal College of Surgeons of England, said:
‘The growing digital landscape means more
and more patients are going online to look up information regarding illness or forthcoming operations. Studies like this are crucial in guid- ing patients on how to search for and identify useful information and avoid them becoming even more worried or confused.’
Patients misled by inappropriate use of the job title surgeon
95 per cent of GB adults would expect an individual using the job title ‘surgeon’ to have a medical degree, while only 27 per cent would check a surgeon’s qualifications before having an operation, according to a survey conducted by ICM on behalf of the Patient Group at The Royal College of Sur- geons (RCS). This poll reveals the overwhelming level of public trust that surgeons are medically qualified, despite the fact that there are no legal restrictions about who can and can’t be called a surgeon.
The RCS and their Patient Group are calling on the Government to legally pro- tect the job title ‘surgeon’ so only those who have qualified as a medical doctor and undertaken post-graduate surgical training can use the title. This will avoid confusion and prevent patients thinking they are being treated in the NHS by a ‘surgeon’ when that person does not hold a medical degree and is not a surgical specialist. Public support for this is clear, with 92 per cent of respondents agreeing that the
6 | SpinalSurgeryNews | Autumn 2012
job title should be restricted by law. Sue Woodward, Chair of the Patient
Group at The Royal College of Surgeons, said:
“Currently patients are being left in the dark and cannot make informed decisions about their
treatment. The law must be
changed so only those who have undertaken the extensive medical training it takes to become a surgeon can use this title. This will avoid patients misunderstanding the qualification of the person treating them in the future.”
The survey found that 90 per cent of re- spondents would be concerned if they dis- covered their surgeon did not hold a medi- cal degree.
In the NHS and private practice, non- medically qualified practitioners who use the title surgeon include podiatric surgeons and aesthetic surgeons. Podiatric surgeons have not completed a medical degree but have instead trained only in the surgical and non-surgical treatment of the foot which leaves them unable to treat the patient as a
whole. An aesthetic surgeon may not have a medical degree and may not have under- taken specialist surgical training. Professor Norman Williams, President of The Royal College of Surgeons, said: “It is extremely worrying that in the health sector clarity regarding job titles is lacking. Patients undergoing treatment have a right to know the credentials of the person to whom they are entrusting their safety. The law can be very strict in protect- ing working titles and we believe the same legal cover should be extended to the title surgeon.”
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