Scientific quality of colonoscopy-related YouTube videos in the Turkish language.

Key Takeaways for GI Nurses

• Patient education quality varies significantly across online platforms, particularly in non-English languages where medical oversight may be limited
• Turkish-language colonoscopy videos on YouTube demonstrate inconsistent scientific accuracy, highlighting the need for nurses to provide reliable, culturally appropriate patient education materials
• Social media platforms are increasingly becoming primary sources of health information for patients, requiring healthcare professionals to actively engage in digital health literacy
• Language-specific medical content may lack proper clinical review, emphasizing the importance of developing unit-based educational resources for diverse patient populations

Clinical Relevance

This research underscores a critical gap in patient education that directly impacts pre-procedure preparation and post-procedure compliance in endoscopy units. As GI nurses, we frequently encounter patients who arrive with preconceived notions, anxiety, or misinformation about colonoscopy procedures, often sourced from online videos. When patients rely on scientifically inadequate YouTube content, it can lead to incomplete bowel preparation, increased procedure anxiety, unrealistic expectations, and potential safety concerns during conscious sedation.

The findings highlight the urgent need for endoscopy units to develop comprehensive, multilingual patient education strategies. GI nurses should consider creating unit-specific educational materials or partnering with certified medical translators to ensure accurate information reaches non-English speaking patients. Additionally, this research suggests that nurses should routinely assess patients' sources of pre-procedure information during intake interviews, allowing opportunities to correct misconceptions and provide evidence-based education tailored to individual cultural and linguistic needs.

From a quality improvement perspective, endoscopy units might benefit from establishing relationships with reputable healthcare organizations that produce multilingual educational content, or developing internal protocols for vetting and recommending specific online resources. This proactive approach can enhance patient satisfaction scores, improve procedure efficiency through better preparation compliance, and reduce the time nurses spend addressing preventable patient concerns rooted in inaccurate online information.

Bottom Line

Poor scientific quality of colonoscopy-related videos in non-English languages represents a significant patient safety and education challenge that requires GI nurses to be more proactive in providing culturally appropriate, evidence-based pre-procedure education and in actively countering misinformation that patients may encounter online.