TikTok and Bilibili as sources of palliative care information: an analysis of quality and reliability

The development and popularization of palliative care have garnered significant attention. Short-video platforms TikTok and Bilibili boast vast audiences, enabling users to readily access related information. However, the quality of palliative care content available on these platforms remains uncertain. This study aims to evaluate the quality and reliability of Chinese-language palliative care-related short videos on the TikTok and Bilibili video-sharing platforms. We selected the top 100 Chinese-language palliative care videos from Bilibili and TikTok based on comprehensive rankings, categorizing them by source and content. Three scoring tools—Global Quality Score (GQS), JAMA, and modified mDISCERN—were used to evaluate video quality and reliability. The 200 videos included in this study primarily originated from five sources: individual creators (n = 79, 39.5%), healthcare practitioners (n = 64, 32%), news media (n = 28, 14%), for-profit organizations (n = 15, 7.5%), and non-profit organizations (n = 14, 7%). Based on content, videos were categorized into six themes: relevant concepts (n = 98, 49%), practice examples (n = 85, 42.5%), life education (n = 74, 37%), specific service details (n = 71, 35.5%), industry status (n = 45, 22.5%), and future outlook (n = 25, 12.5%). Regarding video quality and reliability, palliative care-related content on TikTok and Bilibili demonstrated lower quality. TikTok’s median GQS, JAMA, and mDISCERN scores were 2.00, 1.00, and 2.00, respectively, while Bilibili’s median scores for these metrics were 3.00, 2.00, and 2.00. Videos posted by healthcare professionals scored significantly higher on GQS (p < 0.05), mDISCERN (p < 0.01), and JAMA (p < 0.05) compared to non-professionals. Likes, shares, and comments showed a weak positive correlation with video quality, while likes and comments exhibited a weak negative correlation with video duration. This study found that the number of Chinese-language palliative care videos on TikTok and Bilibili is limited, with generally low quality and reliability. Videos posted by healthcare professionals demonstrated higher quality and reliability. Content-wise, these videos effectively conveyed basic palliative care concepts to the public, aiding in the dissemination of life education. Future efforts should encourage healthcare professionals to produce more high-quality video content to promote public awareness of palliative care.