JAMA Netw Open

Clinician-created health videos often lack solid evidence

January 27, 2026

A cross-sectional analysis of 309 clinician-created YouTube videos on cancer and diabetes found that most medical claims (62.5%) were supported by very low or no evidence (E‑GRADE D), while fewer than 20% aligned with high-quality evidence. Despite this, grade D videos drew significantly more views—about 35% higher than grade A content. Traditional video quality tools poorly reflected true evidence strength, showing only weak correlations with evidence levels. Authors conclude that medical professionals frequently legitimize unsupported claims in digital content, underscoring the need for evidence-based guidelines and stronger training in science communication.

Clinical takeaway: When counseling patients influenced by online medical videos, explicitly ask about sources and reinforce guideline-based recommendations—authority and popularity do not equal evidence.

Source:

Kang E, et al. (2026, January 2). JAMA Netw Open. The Quality of Evidence of and Engagement With Video Medical Claims. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41543855/