YouTube is broadening one of its health-focused initiatives to permit verified content creators to raise awareness about various topics and illnesses. Last week, the video sharing platform announced it was launching ‘health content shelves’ and ‘health source information panels’, two unique features previously reserved for approved health organizations, to registered doctors, nurses, and other health professionals who produce content on the platform. The company emphasized that it aims to simplify the process for individuals to locate high-quality health and wellness information.
YouTube to Feature Content Created by Registered Health Professionals
In a blog entry, Google, the parent company of YouTube, outlined the new initiative. The entry noted that YouTube launched two product features a few years back, referred to as health content shelves and health source information panels, designed to deliver easily identifiable medical and health-related information to users.
Health content shelves appear at the top of all search results on YouTube whenever users search for any health or medical subject like heart attack or diabetes. This space displays in a carousel format and allows users to scroll horizontally through information from verified sources. This helps users to avoid clickbaity video titles with exaggerated information.
Until now, health content shelves have been restricted to accredited health organizations. In India, YouTube collaborated with AIIMS, NIMHANS, Apollo Hospitals, Max Healthcare, and other organizations to showcase their content in the designated space. The videos from this shelf also include a panel indicating that the uploader is a verified healthcare organization.
Now, YouTube has opted to extend these features to registered doctors, nurses, mental health professionals, and health information providers. They are now able to apply for registration with YouTube, after which their videos will appear in the carousel view. “This will allow us to broaden to include high-quality information from a larger group of healthcare channels,” the entry stated.
Upon applying, YouTube will evaluate the content creators based on several criteria. These include best practices for sharing health information as outlined by the Council of Medical Specialty Societies, the National Academy of Medicine, and the World Health Organization. Additionally, they must also have a YouTube channel in good standing. The applicants’ licenses as healthcare professionals will also be confirmed.
YouTube expressed that this expansion will help users to effortlessly discover and connect with content arising from the community of healthcare creators. In the future, the video streaming giant will also broaden these product features to include additional medical specialties.
