In the age of consumerization, we expect to find accurate answers to our most complicated questions instantly. Video is a particularly effective format for sharing health information in ways that are accessible and digestible, not only to a professional audience, but to everyone. Regardless of literacy level, location or language, video makes complicated topics easier to understand – even on a mobile phone.
Today, more than 83% of people globally own a smartphone, making mobile video a promising medium for professional and public audiences to access health information. However, this content is often kept in academic and professional silos, largely inaccessible, rather than on video native platforms like YouTube that are used by billions of people worldwide. We need to expand access to this critical information to adequately meet the demands of evolving population health and reach newer, younger generations.
Information as a social determinant of health
YouTube Health leverages our existing mobile video format to make public health information truly public, with the ability to reach global audiences and provide equitable access to the best thinking in science and medicine. The scale and reach of platforms like Google Search and YouTube have the potential to radically increase equity of access to high quality health information, by bridging the gap between academia and the everyday people who want to understand how to take better care of themselves and their families.
YouTube Health is currently partnered with KFF on THE-IQ (Tackling Health Equity with Information Quality), an incubator bringing valuable health insights from key industry stakeholders to YouTube in the form of engaging video content that is easy to understand. YouTube is working with three partners to conceptualize and produce video series that examine health equity through each organization’s lens of focus, including mental health, maternal health and healthcare access.
THE-IQ is a reflection of YouTube Health’s efforts to reimagine how health information is shared, working between health authorities, creative digital content creators and medical experts to make the most of what digital video can offer.
Putting the best healthcare voices front and center
High-quality information comes from diverse sources and voices. That’s why YouTube Health recently worked with organizations like the Federation of State Medical Boards (FSMB) and the Council of Medical Specialty Societies (CMSS) to expand access to our Authoritative Health Features to licensed healthcare professionals, not-for-profit healthcare organizations and industry creators. By working closely with organizations like FSMB to verify credentials, YouTube can increase the volume and diversity of authoritative voices discoverable in spaces people visit every single day – like their favorite video-sharing app. We hope to continue to support the diverse communities on YouTube that are helping people become more informed, engaged in and empowered about their health.
Forming connections over shared health questions
This fall, YouTube Health introduced a new feature to help connect people with relatable, personal health stories when searching for health information. We continue to see people turn to YouTube with health questions such as, “How do I live with this” or “what should I expect?”; looking for empathetic answers from people with a shared experience. Now, when someone searches for certain physical and mental health conditions on YouTube, a shelf of personal stories will appear in the search results. While we’ve learned about the valuable role that YouTube can play in people’s health journeys, we hope to help people better connect with the human aspects of living with a condition or diagnosis and put the voices of patients and caregivers into the center of the conversation.
The need for connection and belonging is a universal one, and that’s proven with data – the science of peer support shows that social connectedness positively impacts both physical and mental health. At YouTube Health, we understand the need for people to have shared human experience to complement health information – to connect and know that you’re not alone.
By bringing authoritative health content to consumers wherever they are, YouTube Health is working to bridge the health information gap with easily findable and understandable health content. When we’re able to access high-quality information, we’re able to make smarter decisions about our health, even outside the exam room. Together, we can reimagine how health information is accessed, consumed and shared and help everyone, everywhere, to live healthier lives.
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