Video sharing platform YouTube is beginning a new option to help viewers find credible health information content. Licensed healthcare professionals, including both doctors and nurses, can apply for a YouTube panel marking them as reliable health information sources. The platform will also create health content “shelves” with information on specific medical conditions.
Responding to Growing Need for Health Information
According to YouTube’s announcement of the new labels, “the majority of healthcare decisions are made outside the doctor’s office.” In the past, YouTube has allowed hospitals and public health departments to apply for a label marking them as reliable sources for healthcare information. Now, the video sharing platform is expanding on that.
Thursday, YouTube announced it will allow healthcare professionals and health information providers to apply for the accreditation individually. Applicants will upload a copy of their medical license and agree to follow a set of guidelines established by the Council of Medical Specialty Societies, the National Academy of Medicine and the World Health Organization.
YouTube also says those accepted into the program will undergo periodic reassessment to ensure they still qualify for the label. Once approved, their videos will be eligible for panels that mark their videos as reliable sources of health information. They can also have their videos added to specific health content shelves on various medical conditions.
Adding Doctors and Nurses to YouTube Health
The video sharing service created YouTube Health several years ago. The idea was to hep people find emotional support for medical and psychological issues as well as tackle a growing problem of misinformation. One viewer explained that she learned how to help her son cope with seizures, even though he was too young to tell her what it felt like.
I watched a video of a teen describing what she felt during an episode and it taught me how to help my son be somewhat comfortable during his. It was very helpful for me to be able to see so many videos from different individuals, because not all seizures were the same.
As part of the YouTube Health expansion, licensed individuals in health professions can apply to be authoritative sources of health information. These include:
- Licensed doctors (eligible to practice medicine in the relevant country),
- Licensed nurses or registered nurses (U.S. only),
- Licensed psychologists or equivalent,
- Licensed marriage and family therapist or equivalent, and
- Licensed clinical social worker or equivalent.
Other eligibility requirements include following YouTube channel monetization policies, having more than 2,000 valid public watch hours in the last 12 months, focusing primarily on health information and being free of any active Community Guidelines strikes.
No Quick Turnaround for Approval
Don’t expect to see doctors and nurses show up with the label quickly. YouTube says it is using a third-party partner to verify licensing. All told, the channel application and review process is expected to take 1 to 2 months. YouTube says accepted applicants can become eligible to start showing up in selected features in early 2023.