YouTube Searching and Self-Treatment Behaviors Among Patients With Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo Before and After Clinic Visits: Prospective Observational Study
Background: YouTube has become a popular platform for patients seeking health-related information, including guidance on managing benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV). As self-diagnosis and self-treatment through online content grow more common, concerns have arisen regarding their influence on patients’ healthcare decisions and treatment outcomes. However, little is known about how YouTube use and self-treatment behaviors change before and after clinical consultation, or whether these behaviors affect standard care for BPPV. Objective: This study aimed to investigate changes in patients’ YouTube searching and self-treatment behaviors before and after clinic visits for BPPV and to assess whether self-treatment influences standard in-clinic management. Methods: A prospective study was conducted with patients diagnosed with BPPV who visited an otorhinolaryngology clinic in Korea from August 2024 to July 2025. On the final day of treatment, participants completed a survey, and chart reviews were performed to collect data on age, sex, canal involvement, chronic disease status, number of canalith repositioning maneuver (CRM) sessions, and pre- and post-clinic YouTube searching and self-treatment. Differences in pre- and post-clinic behaviors by gender were analyzed using Generalized Estimating Equations for repeated measures. The effect of self-treatment on the number of CRM sessions was assessed using negative binomial regression after confirming overdispersion. Results: Among 147 patients (71% women), pre-clinic YouTube searching was reported by 25%, while post-clinic searching decreased to 14%. Gender-stratified Generalized Estimating Equations analysis showed women had significantly higher odds of pre-clinic YouTube searching compared to post-clinic (OR = 2.39, 95% CI = 1.20–4.78, p = 0.014). Additionally, women with chronic disease had significantly lower odds of self-treatment (OR = 0.13, 95% CI = 0.02–0.98, p = 0.047). Negative binomial regression showed no significant association between self-treatment status and the number of CRM sessions. Conclusions: This study demonstrates that YouTube searching and self-treatment behaviors for BPPV change following clinical consultation. These findings highlight the importance of patient education during clinical encounters to address pre-visit online information use and mitigate inappropriate self-treatment practices.
JMIR Formative Res: YouTube Searching and Self-Treatment Behaviors Among Patients With Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo Before and After Clinic Visits: Prospective Observational Study #BPPV #Vertigo #YouTubeHealth #SelfTreatment #PatientEducation
