YouTube Expands "Health Source" Verification to Nursing Professionals

KaleenaIrene, MSN, RN

YouTube is one of the most convenient online methods of obtaining health information for the public. According to a study featured in Forbes, both older and younger generations have been shown to frequent YouTube, “EVERY generation checks YouTube once a week (even 52% of Baby Boomers), making it the only platform with that kind of reach.” However, YouTube has been found to contain a great deal of health misinformation that has been linked to negative implications.

When considering that one of YouTube's Key Performance Indicators (KPI) is popularity and the fact that YouTube has over 2 billion monthly active users, it is clear that there is a disproportionate impact made by health misinformation that is present on the global platform. As social media continues to be one of the most common methods of access for the latest trends in culture and events, the question arises-how has misinformation on YouTube (being the dominant social media platform) impacted patients seeking to acquire information and engage in their own health journey?

Taking Covid-19 as an example, the Covid-19 pandemic has been the largest public health emergency in generations. In a study conducted by the British Medical Journal (BMJ) in 2020, search terms such as coronavirus and Covid 19 were used to obtain video results from YouTube. The videos which populated were screened for usability and reliability. The study concluded, “Over one-quarter of the most viewed YouTube videos on COVID-19 contained misleading information, reaching millions of viewers worldwide.” High levels of misinformation not only impact the individual consuming the content, but it also impacts public health. For example, the management of infectious diseases may be impacted on a larger scale, as the misinformation spreads instantly and, for the vulnerable, creates potential doubt of sources with differing content that may be more reliable and credible.

On the flip side, YouTube has great potential to empower its viewers with accurate information and has proven to be an effective mode of building awareness and educating patients. Even so, many studies have demonstrated the need for social media platforms (like YouTube) to incorporate a way for its users to evaluate the information which is shared by content creators on a constant basis. There has been recent progress in the past 1-2 years, which has been in efforts to help drive the efficacy and effectiveness of social media; specifically, YouTube has worked to collaboratively identify “authoritative” health content and has expanded its efforts most recently.

In 2021, YouTube added a feature that allows viewers to identify whether the content is from an accredited health source; this feature helps to validate the content and makes it easier for viewers to find high-quality, authoritative medical and health information. One of the two features is an Information Panel which appears as a blue box directly under the YouTube video and may read "from an accredited hospital" when the source is from an approved hospital, for example. In the Information Panel, there is a link that, when clicked, leads to a webpage that details the process of becoming a credible source.

Accreditation is based on guidance and criteria from an expert panel that was formed by members of the National Academy of Medicine (NAM) and Council of Medical Specialty Societies (CMSS) and is further verified by the World Health Organization (WHO). The process of defining content as authoritative in 2021 was exclusive to health organizations and government entities, operating as a status to be both “attained and maintained.” The ability to become verified, however, has now grown to include others.

In an October 2022 YouTube blog post, it was shared that "Individuals, companies, and nonprofits with health-focused YouTube channels" will now have the chance to apply and receive accrediting features as well. There are criteria to be met in order to apply and receive YouTube health features, including but not limited to proof of license. Users must also have no community guideline strikes; they must follow monetization policies (whether or not the channel is monetized) and possess more than 2,000 hours of validated watch hours in the last 12 months.

Applicants who meet YouTube’s criteria will be eligible for features including the Information Panel previously mentioned and the Health Content Shelf. The Health Content Shelf will result after a health-related search is conducted and will appear as part of the scrolling feed to display authoritative sources on the searched topic to help boost visibility. The Health Information Panel and Health Content Shelf features by YouTube are major steps towards building reliable and trustworthy content. The ability for Medical and Nursing professionals to now attain these features will help promote high-quality health information and further the benefits for viewers seeking to make informed health decisions through the use of social media.

References/Resources

Tech Company Makes Bold Change To Drive Diversity

YouTube Help: Get info on health-related content

Identifying Credible Sources of Health Information in Social Media: Principles and Attributes

YouTube as a source of information on COVID-19: a pandemic of misinformation?

YouTube will now let medical professionals apply for additional verification