Answering your health questions in Brazil, India, and Japan
Mar 24, 2022 – minute read
Health source information panels help viewers identify videos from authoritative sources.
In our increasingly digital world, online sources have become an important resource for questions about our health. As a long-time public health practitioner, I know how important it is to make sure people are able to find and connect with high quality, helpful information about their health – information is truly a determinant of health and good information can make an impactful difference in the decisions people make about their health.
At YouTube Health, we’re working to make it easier for people to find authoritative information to help answer their questions about their health. We’re partnering with leading health organizations around the world to create video content and putting health professionals at the core of our efforts to connect people with helpful content.
We’re also expanding the use of product features to surface credible and relevant health information that were first launched in the U.S. last year. Starting this week, users in Brazil, India, and Japan will also see new features next to some health-related searches and videos. In the coming months, we’ll continue to expand these features to other countries.
Health content shelves appear in searches for specific health topic.
We’re adding health source information panels on videos to help viewers identify videos from authoritative sources and health content shelves that more effectively highlight videos from these sources when you search for specific health topics. These context cues are aimed at helping people more easily navigate and evaluate credible health information. People will still be able to find relevant videos from a range of channels in their search results.
To identify which sources to include in our health features, we initially used a set of principles developed by a panel of experts convened by the National Academy of Medicine (NAM) in the United States. As we expand these features internationally, we want to ensure a consistent set of principles to identify authoritative health sources across the globe. The World Health Organization and NAM recently convened a meeting of interdisciplinary experts from around the world to review and validate principles for global application.
This is our first step towards identifying and designating authoritative health sources on YouTube. While only accredited health organizations and government entities are currently included in our health context features, we’re exploring ways to broaden eligibility and evaluate inclusion of other health sources.
I believe that the next phase in health communication is video, where we can connect with people and answer their questions in a way that is both visual and personal.
I’ve spent my career trying to advance the ways that we can better reach people with the information they need to make the right health choices for themselves and their families, and I’ve had a front row seat as our approaches evolved from pamphlets handed out at doctor’s offices to online patient portals and telemedicine.
I believe that the next phase in health communication is video, where we can connect with people and answer their questions in a way that is both visual and personal. I joined YouTube Health because I believe that this platform, with 2 billion monthly active users, has the potential to be a transformative tool for public health and can positively impact communities at scale. We know that there is more work to be done and our investment will continue for the long-term.