Quality, Coverage, and Communication Performance of Sepsis Short Videos Across Major Social Media Platforms: A Mixed-Methods Study

Background : Sepsis is a major global health concern, particularly given its high morbidity and mortality rates. Despite its clinical significance, the public awareness of sepsis remains limited. Objective : Therefore, since short videos are increasingly becoming a vital medium for health education, we aimed to systematically assess sepsis-related short videos’ content quality, information coverage, and dissemination performance across major social media platforms, as well as to identify the key factors influencing their communication effectiveness and educational utility. Methods : This mixed-methods study integrated questionnaire data and video content analyses. The questionnaires were distributed among 200 participants to assess sepsis awareness and short video usage preferences. Meanwhile, 140 sepsis-related videos were collected from TikTok, Bilibili, and WeChat and evaluated using the Global Quality Score (GQS), the modified DISCERN tool, and a six-dimension content coverage framework. Finally, communication performance was assessed through user engagement metrics and other related indicators. Results : Compared to videos from the media or individual publishers, physician-produced videos had significantly higher GQS and DISCERN scores (p < 0.001). Additionally, the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) and chief physicians produced the highest-quality content. Furthermore, high-quality videos (GQS > 3, DISCERN > 3) correlated with greater content retention and diffusion. We also noted a mismatch between the content provided and public information needs. Specifically, practical topics such as symptoms and prevention were underrepresented. Additionally, although emotional elements and clickbait-style titles moderately enhanced engagement, they did not substitute for content quality. Moreover, various platform-specific benefits were identified including TikTok facilitating rapid exposure, Bilibili supporting structured learning, and WeChat enabling socially driven redistribution. Conclusion : Although short video platforms hold great promise for sepsis education, challenges of inconsistent quality, limited coverage, and misalignment with audience needs persist in current content. Therefore, enhancing professional accuracy, optimizing structural design, and tailoring strategies to platform characteristics would improve the educational impact of the videos, ultimately promoting early sepsis diagnosis and treatment.