title: Assessment of YouTube videos as a source of information on medication use in pregnancy.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  When making decisions about medication use in pregnancy, women consult many information sources, including the Internet. The aim of this study was to assess the content of publicly accessible YouTube videos that discuss medication use in pregnancy.
  
  
  METHODS
  Using 2023 distinct combinations of search terms related to medications and pregnancy, we extracted metadata from YouTube videos using a YouTube video Application Programming Interface. Relevant videos were defined as those with a medication search term and a pregnancy-related search term in either the video title or description. We viewed relevant videos and abstracted content from each video into a database. We documented whether videos implied each medication to be "safe" or "unsafe" in pregnancy and compared that assessment with the medication's Teratogen Information System (TERIS) rating.
  
  
  RESULTS
  After viewing 651 videos, 314 videos with information about medication use in pregnancy were available for the final analyses. The majority of videos were from law firms (67%), television segments (10%), or physicians (8%). Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) were the most common medication class named (225 videos, 72%), and 88% of videos about SSRIs indicated that they were unsafe for use in pregnancy. However, the TERIS ratings for medication products in this class range from "unlikely" to "minimal" teratogenic risk.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  For the majority of medications, current YouTube video content does not adequately reflect what is known about the safety of their use in pregnancy and should be interpreted cautiously. However, YouTube could serve as a platform for communicating evidence-based medication safety information.
authors.affiliation: South Australian Health and Medical Research Institute, Adelaide, Australia.|National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, USA.
authors.forename: Craig
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Hansen
authors.affiliation: National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, USA.|Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education, Oak Ridge, TN, USA.
authors.forename: Julia D
authors.initials: JD
authors.lastname: Interrante
authors.affiliation: National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, USA.
authors.forename: Elizabeth C
authors.initials: EC
authors.lastname: Ailes
authors.affiliation: National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, USA.
authors.forename: Meghan T
authors.initials: MT
authors.lastname: Frey
authors.affiliation: National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, USA.
authors.forename: Cheryl S
authors.initials: CS
authors.lastname: Broussard
authors.affiliation: National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, USA.|Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA.
authors.forename: Valerie J
authors.initials: VJ
authors.lastname: Godoshian
authors.affiliation: National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, USA.
authors.forename: Courtney
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Lewis
authors.affiliation: National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, USA.
authors.forename: Kara N D
authors.initials: KN
authors.lastname: Polen
authors.affiliation: National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, USA.|Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education, Oak Ridge, TN, USA.
authors.forename: Amanda P
authors.initials: AP
authors.lastname: Garcia
authors.affiliation: National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, USA.
authors.forename: Suzanne M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Gilboa
mesh_terms: D054626:Consumer Health Information; D064420:Drug-Related Side Effects and Adverse Reactions / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000517:prevention & control; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D010353:Patient Education as Topic; D004364:Pharmaceutical Preparations / Q000145:classification; D011247:Pregnancy; D061108:Social Media; D013723:Teratogens / Q000145:classification / Q000633:toxicity; D014741:Video Recording
chemical_list: D004364:Pharmaceutical Preparations; D013723:Teratogens
keywords: YouTube; drug safety; medications; pharmacoepidemiology; pregnancy; social media