Objective:

Evaluating the adequacy, virality/popularity and interaction of the information on YouTube related to the treatment of sexually transmitted diseases.

Methodology:

A cross-sectional descriptive study that examines the information related to the treatment of, mainly curable, sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) gathered from YouTube Spain videos. A simple search was conducted using the terms “treatment”, “sexual disease”, “syphilis”, “gonorrhoea”, “chlamydia” and “trichomoniasis”. The end date of the viewing and consultation was 26thSeptember 2018.

Results:

There was an increasing evolution in the number of videos uploaded to YouTube, confirming a model with a linear adjustment per the year of promotion (coefficient of determination R2 = 0.47; p = 0.001). The average age of all the videos related to the treatment of STDs was 2.79 ± 0.22 years, with a median of 2 and an IQR equal to 2 years, a maximum of 10 years and a minimum of 0 years. The average acceptance ratio was 88.09 ± 1.10%, with a median equal to 90.83%, an IQR of 8.62%, a maximum of 100% and a minimum of 50%. The most commonly observed STD was gonorrhoea, by itself (20, 25.00%) or with syphilis (2, 2.50%). The most used solution in the videos about STDs was the medicine registered in 59 videos (73.75%). The most present active substance was a group of these actives in 28 videos (35.00%) and the most used pharmaceutical form was also a group of these forms in 28 videos (35.00%).

Conclusions:

Encouraging healthcare professionals to become more active on the Web 2.0, especially on YouTube, and to start their careers as content creators on the same level as people on dissemination channels. Furthermore, ensuring that patients verify and complement the information on YouTube videos during medical appointments with healthcare professionals.

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