Between lingering COVID-19 concerns, surges in RSV (respiratory syncytial virus), and the upcoming flu season, the country is suffering from healthcare overload. So YouTube decided to try and help by opening its health product features to more specialists in the US.

Doctors, nurses, mental health workers, and healthcare information providers can now apply to make their channels eligible for perks like an info panel(Opens in a new window) providing context on a video source.

"Up until now, these features have only been available to organizations such as educational institutions, public health departments, hospitals, and government entities," Dr. Garth Graham, global head of YouTube Health, wrote in a blog announcement(Opens in a new window). "This new step will allow us to expand to include high quality information from a wider group of healthcare channels."

Health creators in the US can apply online(Opens in a new window) via health.youtube. Anyone applying must provide proof of license; follow best practices for health information sharing as set out by the Council of Medical Specialty Societies, National Academy of Medicine, and World Health Organization; and be in good standing on YouTube.

Once approved, eligible channels are allotted a health source information panel labeling the creator as a licensed professional, and a place on YouTube's health content shelf, where videos related to a specific topic appear in search results.

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"This is a big step towards helping people more easily find and connect with content that comes from the extraordinary community of healthcare creators on YouTube—the smart, dedicated and creative folks who are transforming the ways that we share medical information," Graham said.