The quality and reliability evaluation of Parkinson's disease-related short videos on social short video platforms: cross-sectional study.

UNLABELLED: Parkinson’s disease represents a major global public health burden, with China projected to have the highest age‑standardized prevalence worldwide. Short video platforms have become important channels for health information dissemination, yet the quality of Parkinson’s disease‑related content on these platforms remains systematically unassessed. This study aimed to evaluate the quality and reliability of Parkinson’s disease‑related short videos on two leading Chinese platforms, TikTok and Bilibili. Using a cross‑sectional design, we collected the top 100 videos from each platform on April 11, 2026. Videos were classified by uploader identity and content theme. Quality was assessed using the JAMA Benchmark Score, a modified DISCERN medical information quality scale (mDISCERN), and the Global Quality Score (GQS). Results showed platform specific differences in uploader composition, content coverage, video length, and engagement. Overall, the videos showed moderate educational quality and reliability, but limited transparency and accountability. TikTok videos scored higher on mDISCERN, whereas JAMA scores did not differ significantly between platforms. Videos uploaded by healthcare professionals generally received higher quality scores. Correlations between engagement and quality were weak and platform dependent. These findings suggest that Parkinson’s disease related short videos vary in quality across platforms, and that popularity is not a reliable indicator of information quality.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1038/s41598-026-50589-w.