Viewer engagement did not significantly differ between physicians and non-physician content creators (0.033 plus/minus 0.005 vs 0.047 plus/minus 0.001, P=0.066; Table 2). Compared to non-physicians, physicians created videos of higher quality (DISCERN: 1.76 plus/minus 0.058 vs 1.44 plus/minus 0.032, P<0.001) and greater viewer experience (AVA: 2.55 plus/minus 0.183 vs 1.96 plus/minus 0.081, P=0.001; Table 2). However, there is room for improvement in the creation of high-quality videos by both physicians and non-physicians, as indicated by a DISCERN score of 1-2.
As individuals continue to seek dermatologic health information on TikTok, high-quality and accurate information must be available. Our findings suggest that the overall content quality could be improved by both physicians and non-physicians. Physicians may improve the quality of videos without sacrificing engagement by reviewing the risks and benefits of treatment, discussing mechanisms of action, and encouraging shared decision-making. While this study did not assess accuracy, several videos claimed to provide a permanent solution to psoriasis. Dermatologists may combat misinformation by utilizing the "duet" feature on TikTok to directly respond to inaccuracies. Furthermore, with TikTok's recent extension of video limits to ten minutes, physician content creators can create thorough educational videos.
In addition to creating more comprehensive content, efforts should also be directed at reaching a wider audience. Although physicians shared videos of superior viewer experience compared to non-physicians, physicians only make up 21.7% of the content creators in the psoriasis space. Increasing the number of dermatologists on TikTok could be a promising initial step. However, it is also important for physicians to increase "virality" to expand viewership.1 Physicians may do so by incorporating trending TikTok background songs, on-screen text, or wearing a white coat in their videos as these features were found to be included in top dermatologic educational content on TikTok.1,6
This study is limited by the scarcity of board-certified physicians on TikTok. Future research directions may focus on the efficacy of educational TikTok videos in increasing health literacy.
Given TikTok's increasing popularity, dermatologists should leverage the platform to deliver evidence-based dermatologic content to increase health literacy and dispel misinformation. Dermatologists should focus their efforts on increasing the quality of their videos by creating comprehensive educational
