Digital News

YouTube has launched a new feature which will help people in the UK find credible health information online. Health source information panels will be displayed on videos which have been certified as coming from an authoritative source, according to news site Digital Health.

Garth Graham, head of YouTube Health, has said that “only health organisations with government accountability could potentially be eligible” to have their videos verified. He added that these organisations will have to “self-certify against NHS standards for creating health content,” in order to have a health information panel displayed on the content.

Graham shared that the launch of the panels reflects a shift in the way people want to access health information:

“Gone are the days that people are just looking to get their information from a flyer or a billboard, people are getting information in a lot of unique ways, including from platforms like YouTube and others.

“So, we need to think about the quality of the health information, how easy it is to understand and how engaging that information is overall.”

Dr Tim Ferris, Director of Transformation at NHS England and Improvement, also said: “There is something really special and different about the transmission of health information via video, than the classic ‘being handed a piece of paper as a patient as you walk out’ with factual information, often written in a way that is not as accessible.”

Dr Ferris also said the NHS “wants to ensure that patients can access trusted content whenever and wherever they are looking online” – adding that the intention is to “expand the options and sources going forward”.