YouTube is updating the way it delivers search results for health-related queries, adding a section dedicated to personal patient stories.
In an announcement, YouTube says it’s making the change in response to how people search for videos related to health issues.
“A lot of times people don’t come to YouTube with a health question at all,” YouTube says. “Instead, they come with a human question: how can I live with this?”
YouTube search patterns indicate that people living with chronic health conditions don’t always come to the site looking for information. They seek support from others who are going through the same thing.
“…they all touched on the same human element: we help each other through things. The need for connection and belonging is universal, and this is proven by data – the science of peer support shows that social connection has a positive impact on physical and mental health.
YouTube Personal Stories Shelf
To foster the kind of connection people are looking for, YouTube is launching a personal stories shelf in search results.
When you search for topics related to a health issue, YouTube returns a carousel of videos with people sharing personal stories about the issue.
The personal stories shelf is interspersed with other search results, as you can see in the example below:
Screenshot from: https://blog.youtube/news-and-events/answering-the-human-questions-on-your-healthcare-journey/, September 2022.For a video to be eligible to appear on the shelf, it must focus on a personal and authentic lived experience that is relevant to a specific physical or mental health condition.
Promotional content, or content that spreads misinformation, is not eligible for the personal stories shelf.
YouTube says the personal stories shelf will first start rolling out for queries related to cancer and mental health topics like anxiety and depression.
The Personal Stories shelf is available to users in the United States, but YouTube plans to expand it to more markets and more query types.
Source: Youtube
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