Many patients turn to social media platforms for health care information. Two studies presented at the ACOG Annual Clinical & Scientific Meeting in San Francisco explored colposcopy and pap smear procedure content to help provide insight into patient discussions and perceptions. 

The first study, conducted by researchers from the James Cancer Hospital and Solove Research Institute, analyzed 183 TikTok videos tagged with #colposcopy. The researchers found the majority of the content centered on patients' pain experiences, with 64% of the videos discussing “pain and pain management.” 

Of the creators who shared their experiences, 75% described the procedure as painful, while 25% described it as painless. The researchers noted, “opportunities exist to improve pain expectations and management strategies with patients.” 

In the second study, researchers from New York Medical College assessed the tone, content, and quality of health information in 93 TikTok videos tagged with #PapSmear. The videos they reviewed received 237M views, 19M likes, and 241K comments.

The researchers noted, a discrepancy in tone between patients and medical professionals, with most positive videos created by medical professionals (68%) and most negative videos created by non-medical professionals (91%). Nearly half of the positive videos were educational (48%), while most negative videos recounted personal experiences (60%). 

The researchers evaluated the quality of health information in the videos using modified standardized scales (DISCERN and Patient Education Materials Assessment Tool). While the videos scored high on understandability (average 73%), they scored low on actionability (average 32%) and quality of health information (2 out of 5). The researchers suggested that the “negative influence from TikTok should be considered in patient-provider communication about pap smears.” 

The authors of both studies reported no potential conflicts of interest in their financial disclosures.