The New YouTube Health Certification & Exclusive Features for Healthcare Professionals
YouTube has announced a variety of new features exclusively for health professionals using the platform. These features include panels for health source context and an exclusive health content shelf.
These new features are powerful tools that can help you grow your YouTube channel, reach new viewers, and showcase your authority and credibility online.
What is YouTube Health?
YouTube Health wants to make it easier for viewers to find high-quality health information from sources with authority across the healthcare industry.
YouTube wants to be a trusted platform when it comes to public health communication, and they are doing what they can to combat medical misinformation on the platform. Launching YouTube Health is one of many steps that they are taking to accomplish these goal.
YouTube Certification for Health Channels
As part of the YouTube Health Program, they have released a certification process for doctors and other health professionals.
After receiving the certification on YouTube, these channels become eligible for the new health-related features that are being launched in some countries in 2023.
This program is currently being piloted in the U.S. and Germany, and YouTube is aiming to expand to more regions in the future.
If your channel becomes health certified, you will gain access to the health source context panel and the health content shelf.
Health Source Context on YouTube
This new YouTube feature for health professionals is an information panel below videos that provides context about the professional expertise of the channel that created the video.
This allows your videos, as a doctor or medical professional, to stand out from videos created by average users with no credentials.
YouTube is using this feature to elevate the voices of healthcare professionals and assist users in finding videos about health content from reputable sources.
The Health Content Shelf
This is another new tool being launched by YouTube and is visible in many health-related searches on YouTube. The goal of this feature is to show health content from certified users that relates to the topic that was searched by the user.
This is another way that YouTube is seeking to highlight reputable voices and encourage people to watch videos from channels with expertise in the healthcare industry.
Eligibility Requirements for YouTube’s Health Certification and Features
To ensure that these features are only accessible by reputable sources, there is an application process before being accepted into the program and certain eligibility criteria must be met.
Must attest to the Health Information Sharing Principles – These principals were developed by experts with the WHO, NAM, and CMSS to outline how things should be shared online. It also provides a definition of what it means to be a credible source of health information online.
Be a licensed health professional in the country you are applying in – Licensed professions currently included in the program are doctors, nurses, Registered nurses (U S only), Marriage & family Therapists, Clinical Social Workers, Psychologists and their equivalents.
See full details about who is eligible to apply here.
Additional Requirements
If you meet the criteria above, there are also a few channel-related eligibility standards that must be achieved before applying to receive your channel certification.
Have more than 2,000 watch hours in the last 12 months
Be a channel primarily focused on sharing health information
Have no active community guideline strikes
Be following all of the YouTube channel monetization policies (even if you are not currently monetizing your channel).
If you meet the application criteria, then it is highly recommended that you apply to be a source in the YouTube health features.
This certification can help your channel to grow on YouTube and increase the chances that your videos show up in relevant searches.
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