9043 Background: Esophageal cancer is subdivided into two types based on histopathology, squamous cell carcinoma and adenocarcinoma (ACE). While the former has declined in incidence within the US, the latter has seen a marked increase. The natural history of ACE begins with metaplastic and dysplastic changes, coined Barrett’s esophagus (BE). This pre-malignant condition is treatable if dysplastic changes are detected early. Surveillance endoscopies are recommended every 3-5 years in individuals with BE, yet the adherence to this recommendation remains low. As the incidence of cancer increases in young individuals, clinicians must adapt their methods for disseminating information. In this study, we graded social media videos about BE and compared scores between medical professionals and non-medical professionals. Methods: Utilizing a freshly made account to limit algorithmic tailoring, 106 videos were gathered from TikTok (n=60, 56%) and Instagram (n=46, 44%) using the hashtag “#barrettesophagus.” Inclusion criteria included videos covering the pathophysiology, clinical features, diagnosis, treatment, or surveillance of BE. Exclusion criteria were videos that did not cover those topics or were not in English. Videos were graded utilizing the CHAI rubric, a verified, 10-point grading rubric for online videos, where 10 is an ideal score. The graded categories are credibility, transparency, content accuracy, accessibility, and relevance. Medical professionals (MP) were defined as MD/DOs, PhDs, RNs, PA/NPs, or RDs. Engagement was defined as cumulative total of likes and comments. Each video was graded by two independent reviewers. Statistical analysis was performed utilizing unpaired, Welch’s t-test. Results: Out of the 106 videos, 15 were excluded. From those remaining, 52 videos (49%) were made by MP, and 54 videos (51%) were made by non-MP. This latter group was composed of lay individuals (n=12, 11%), non-medical influencers (n=12, 11%), professional organizations (n=3, 2%), and private groups (n=12, 11%). The average CHAI for videos from MP were 9.7, compared to 7.0 from non-MP (p < 0.01). Screening guidelines were covered in 21 videos (20%), with MP covering 15 of them (71%), while only 6 were covered by non-MP (29%). Average engagement on MP videos was 2674, contrasted to 183 in the non-MP group. No videos explicitly stated that AI was involved in making the content. Conclusions: Medical professionals produced significantly higher-grade content covering BE than non-medical professionals. Additionally, medical professionals were more likely to report on the updated screening guidelines for BE and on average had higher engagement per video. This highlights the benefit of medical professionals within social media and shows the potential of disseminating updated screening guidelines through modern avenues of information sharing.
Bowden et al. (Thu,) studied this question.