YouTube info praised
Tuesday July 10th, 2012
People with bone cancer can get "helpful and accurate" information from the web video service YouTube, according to a new study.
Experts say that 74 per cent of videos on bone tumours meet these criteria.
Researchers at Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust concluded that two per cent of videos were misleading - and another 24 per cent contained no useful information.
Most of the helpful videos came from medical professionals, health information websites and universities, the researchers say.
The findings have been published in the Royal College of Surgeons of England Bulletin.
Surgeon Craig Gerrand, a trustee of the Bone Cancer Research Trust, said: "Video 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 consider watching several videos to get a good sample of what is available. The popularity of videos isn’t a reliable guide to their quality."
Tags: Cancer | General Health | UK News
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