In an effort to reduce false material on the website, YouTube announced Thursday that doctors, nurses, and other healthcare providers can apply to have their channels certified. According to YouTube, the adjustment will make it simpler for users to access videos with “high-quality health information.”
This is a big step towards helping people more easily find and connect with content that comes from the extraordinary community of healthcare professionals on YouTube,” it added.
In addition to doctors and nurses, mental health professionals and healthcare information providers may also apply for the YouTube verification that allows their videos to be spotted easily by users. “This new step will allow us to expand to include high quality information from a wider group of healthcare channels,” the company said.
The National Academy of Medicine estimates that 90% of Americans use social media to look up health-related information. Last year, YouTube came under fire for displaying videos that decried the Covid-19 vaccine or went against the World Health Organization’s or the CDC’s recommendations for good health.
In September 2021, it enacted a prohibition on vaccine-related misinformation in response. Additionally, a limited programme was introduced that permitted movies produced by public health departments, hospitals, and governments, among other organisations, to carry labels indicating their authority to consumers.
It is that program that is now being broadened. To access the program, healthcare professionals must offer proof of their professional licenses, follow best practices for sharing science-based health information and have a channel in good standing on YouTube, the company said.