Truth or Trend – Misinformation Spreading Fast on TikTok: A Cross-Sectional Analysis of Onychomycosis Content

Abstract

<b><i>Background:</i></b> Onychomycosis is the most frequently diagnosed nail condition in clinical practice. With the growing popularity of TikTok and online health information-seeking behavior, it is imperative to understand onychomycosis-related content on this platform. <b><i>Objective:</i></b> Our objective was to assess content and quality of the most popular onychomycosis-related content on TikTok. <b><i>Methods:</i></b> We queried TikTok for videos using the search terms “onychomycosis” and “nail fungus” for the top 100 videos by view count, with DISCERN scoring used to rate videos for quality. <b><i>Results:</i></b> Average DISCERN score was 1.77 and dermatologists posted videos with the highest mean score (2.56). Most of the videos were educational (72%) and/or related to treatment (69%). Home remedies were recommended more often (58%) than FDA-approved therapies (7%). Physician versus nonphysician posted videos had higher mean DISCERN score (2.28 vs. 1.44) (<i>p <</i> 0.001), greater view number (1,209,953 vs. 343,993) (<i>p</i> < 0.05), and more often discussed medical therapy (<i>p</i> < 0.05). <b><i>Conclusion:</i></b> While social media is a valuable resource for providing medical information to an interminable audience, there are significant shortcomings. Therefore, we recommend that dermatologists advise patients against relying on social media for medical information and consider using social media to provide accessible evidence-based health education on onychomycosis.