Information Quality, Reliability, and Engagement of Videos on Congenital Heart Disease: A Cross-Sectional Comparison of YouTube, BiliBili, and Douyin

Background: Congenital heart disease (CHD) is a significant global health burden. Patients increasingly utilize video-sharing platforms (VSPs) such as YouTube, BiliBili, and Douyin for health information, yet the quality of this content is unregulated. This study aimed to systematically evaluate and compare the information quality, reliability, and engagement of CHD-related videos across these three platforms. Methods: A cross-sectional analysis of 300 videos (top 100 videos eligible from each platform) was conducted. Video quality and reliability were quantitatively assessed via the Global Quality Score (GQS), Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) benchmarks, and the modified DISCERN tool. Video retrieval occurred on a single day. Uploader sources, content topics, and engagement metrics were extracted for nonparametric and correlational analysis. Results: Significant quality differences were found across platforms (P < 0.001). YouTube demonstrated the highest overall quality (median GQS 3.0) and reliability (median JAMA 3.0). BiliBili showed high content reliability (median DISCERN 3.0) but suffered from low search relevance (44.1% inclusion rate). Douyin had the lowest median scores all three quality metrics (GQS 2.0, DISCERN 2.0, JAMA 1.0), despite its content being almost entirely dominated by health professionals (99.0%). Notably, weak-to-moderate positive correlations were found between quality scores and user engagement on all three platforms (e.g., GQS vs. Likes, rs = 0.36–0.37). Conclusion: The overall quality of CHD information on VSPs is suboptimal, with Douyin exhibiting the lowest reliability. However, the consistent positive correlation between quality and engagement, even on Douyin, suggests that users are receptive to relatively higher-quality content. This highlights a critical opportunity for health institutions to prioritize the dissemination of accurate, reliable information on these high-traffic channels.