During the pandemic, the greatest concern for many was the misinformation available online about public health and COVID-19. Many people don’t know if a source is accredited or not and would believe anything that they read online. So, it all came down to social media websites and fact-checking entities worldwide to create a safer and more responsible online space. Google also brought some changes to how it displayed public health information. But turns out that there is a lot more where that came from.
Google updates aren’t uncommon but this health update might change a lot for people in the USA and in other countries around the world. If you have a fast internet connection like Cox Gigablast, Google searches can take far less than a second. The global tech giant is trying to make these results more accurate with this update and others before it.
What Is the Update About?
Google’s annual health event happened in March 2022, where stakeholders from almost all Google products were in attendance. This includes Google search, YouTube, Care Studio, Fitbit, Cloud, and Health AI. The new update announces new features across a range of Google products that focus on public health, some health-related online tools, and responsible reporting of health news. The company is taking a huge responsibility to do what it can and seems to have a new mission regarding personal and community health.
New Feature for Google Search
Google Search is one of the most widely-used search engines around the world. So naturally, this is where most people in the world get their information from. Before the update, there wasn’t much information available for local public health in the USA. The new Search feature will improve that. Now, when you search for a local health services provider or a care center, the search results will feature information about all available appointments as well. This can make it easier for people who are searching for immediate and effective medical help.
This feature could be a great addition to some of the already available tools on Google Search. It builds on a previous feature that allowed searchers to find doctors that accept Medicare. Now, the search targets even more medical service practitioners, healthcare providers, and medical centers.
Changes to YouTube Panels
If the pandemic taught us nothing, it was still a huge lesson in learning to authenticate whatever you read online first before acting on it. The rampant misinformation about the pandemic online had the potential to hurt many people and risk countless lives. So, most social media channels made sure to add a panel with authentic COVID-19 information. Keywords like COVID-19, Pfizer, Moderna, vaccine, Corona, etc., were targeted. And whenever these words popped up anywhere, so did the authentic news source panel.
The new update does a similar thing with YouTube videos that talk about health or medical advice. It takes it a step further, however. The panels will note and display the authenticity of the source in the video. It will clearly say whether the information is coming from an official source like a government agency, an accredited medical practitioner, or a hospital. It is a huge step forward in making authentic information available to general public online. The initial roll-out of the update is only going to be for Japan, Brazil, and India but will expand soon.
YouTube Health Content Shelves
The video streaming site is also adding a compilation of videos from accredited sources to something they are calling the Health Content Shelves. They will be placed on the top of the first page of the results as a carousel, every time someone searches for a health-related keyword. It makes finding videos from authentic sources a lot easier than ever before. The Chief Health Officer at Google, Karen DeSalvo, thinks that these can be great context cues and help people to navigate and find reliable health information.
Fitbit Updates
Google took over Fitbit in 2019 so now the smart health watch also comes under its banner. The Fitbit team arranged a heart study in 2020 and came up with an all-new algorithm. It can recognize irregular heartbeat and rhythm and at the time of writing, the FDA was reviewing it. As the Google Health division is dissolving, the Fitbit team is rebuilding its internal health team.
There are also reports that Google has struck a deal with Meditech. The vendor records electronic health data and maintains user records. The deal allows Google to use the said data and incorporate a search and summarization tool into the database.
Conclusion
Entities like Google, Facebook, and Instagram could be key players in changing the online playfield when it comes to health data. If these companies don’t take action for stopping misinformation, things are likely going to get worse. Google’s new updates will largely improve user experience and refine search results for many who are looking for local health-related information.
