Elevating first aid information in Canada on YouTube search
Since its launch, YouTube Health’s mission has been clear: to put high-quality, trustworthy health content right at people’s fingertips globally. We’ve worked hard to deliver on this commitment with a range of features, from health source labels to identify content from licensed medical professionals to crisis resource panels for viewers facing moments of distress.
Today, we’re announcing a significant expansion of these efforts, bringing a potentially life-saving new feature to Canada. Finding clear, step-by-step instructions for basic first aid and emergency care is now simpler than ever with the launch of our first aid information shelves in Canada.
These shelves are designed to appear prominently at the top of your search results, offering easy-to-follow videos from authoritative health organizations. Our goal is to help Canadians quickly find credible and actionable first aid information—without having to sift through complex instructions or long videos.
When you search for key acute health topics, the shelves will feature videos on subjects like:
- Choking
- Bleeding
- Heart attack
- Stroke
- Seizure
- Opioid overdose
YouTube Health partnered with leading national and regional organizations, such as the Canadian Red Cross, Horizon Health Network and The Ottawa Hospital, on content that will appear in the shelves. The series includes vital demonstrations on what to do if someone is choking, how to recognize and help someone having a heart attack, and how to help someone who is overdosing. Importantly, this essential content is available in both English and French, ensuring that critical, potentially life-saving information is readily accessible in both of Canada's official languages.
The launch of the first aid information shelves in Canada is a significant step toward increasing equitable access to authoritative resources on first aid care.
For those without medical training, access to immediate, visual, and reliable guidance can make all the difference in an emergency. We are committed to harnessing the power of video to make public health information truly public. We will continue to grow the amount of authoritative health creators of many different backgrounds and languages on the platform, giving viewers even more choice and access to high-quality information on health-impacting topics.
Stay tuned as we continue our efforts to provide equitable access to the best and brightest thinking in medicine and public health.
