Pros and Cons of Medical Education Content on YouTube. Safe and Efficient Strategies to Grow YouTube Channel for Paramedics

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Of the many popular content types, medical videos are garnering some of the most views on YouTube today. Some lookup healthcare videos out of curiosity, some to find out more about specific diagnoses and understand how certain medical procedures are performed. If you think the layperson is the only audience, you will be surprised to find that many medical fraternities are turning to YouTube to fill gaps in their medical knowledge. Yes, most views of healthcare videos come from students and practitioners of the field. 

Any channel aims to get famous by getting the most significant number of views in the shortest time possible. Medical channels are often no different. Hence, several paramedic channels also invest in social media marketing services to boost their brand awareness and channel credibility. Nevertheless, viewers should not rely on the number of YouTube views alone to validate a channel’s authenticity.  

• It is also true that today several medical organizations find themselves running YouTube channels to create brand awareness in competition with quacks. 
• They have to optimize their view count to be able to supersede others on YouTube search. 
• It requires excellent discernment on the viewer’s part to figure out who is a genuine healthcare channel. 

While viewers have their battles, channel hosts have their own share of ups and downs on YouTube as well. If you are running a paramedic channel on YouTube, you have likely encountered some of the following drawbacks and advantages yourself. 

Cons of Putting Up Medical Content on YouTube

While most health care institutions and professional organizations nowadays have distinct guidelines on internet behavior to prevent these risks, many have also had their brand image damaged beyond repair:

• Breach of Patient Privacy

The use of video platforms, notably YouTube, can land your paramedic business in trouble under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), state medical laws, and state privacy laws. Patient knowledge and consent for videotaping procedures and public posting thereof can still have issues depending on where you are geographically situated and what rules and bylaws govern your business practice.

• Poor Quality Information Dissemination

Suppose the subject covered in your video is not comprehensive or has the scope of misleading interpretations. In that case, you can find yourself in big trouble over the potential risk to HCPs and patients. 

• Licensing/Legal Loopholes

Any breach of HIPAA can lead to criminal penalties, including fines, imprisonments, and license cancellation for your organization as well as for professionals working for you. 

• Violation of Professional and Ethical Boundaries

The very idea of trying to monetize a medical education channel places your business in an ethical loophole. Should you be making profits from disseminating essential knowledge, or should you provide the same to the public as a community service? There will always be a part of the audience who will vocally denounce your very presence on the platform as unethical.

Pros of Posting Medical Content on YouTube

YouTube can have its advantages despite the cons for your channel too:

• Provide Resources for Education

Doctors, lab technicians, students of the various medical fields, and allied practices use these videos as a source of information. When you post authentic and informative content, you are building a resource base for any and everyone connected to the paramedic industry. 

• Improve Professional Networking

Your content provides a place for professional networking through comments, shares, reviews, and other audience engagement forms. 

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• Promote the Organization and Its Services

The quality of your content speaks for the quality of your services. In other words, viewers build an impression about your company or your services based on what you post and the kind of engagement your content generates from professionals in the field.

• Build Brand Awareness

Your style of education, dissemination, and audience engagement helps the public recognize you as a channel and as an institution. You can educate, entertain and engage effectively through YouTube and market yourself advantageously out there. 

• Provide Community Service in Public Health

Everyone can benefit from scientific well-researched medical knowledge. You are providing the community a service by putting medical news and know-how in the public domain. 

Given these plus points, it is perhaps reasonable to build your YouTube channel and continue to post relevant videos. 

You can grow your YouTube presence without compromising on your content. Here’s how: 

1. Use Inbuilt Features Wisely

You can customize your Channel as per your marketing plans’ requirements, but it is essential to give yourself a recognizable face. Hence:

• Select the layout, colors, and structure of your brand page with care;
• Consider grouping your content by topic or keywords for easy navigation and visibility;
• Keep your bio complete and updated. Ensure that you are linking your official pages, websites, and other social handles to your Channel;
• Cross-post and simulcast videos on multiple platforms to reach a wider audience;
• Be prompt in responding to comments and conversations;
• Use YouTube Ads whenever needed;
• Encourage viewers to subscribe, like, and share. 

2. Pay Attention to Audiences Behavior Analytics

As a YouTuber, research what works for your target audience and create your paramedic content accordingly. What your channel needs are organic views and subscribers. People will interact and engage with your uploads if they can connect to them. Hence, when creating your content check, keep in mind:

• What style of presentation does my audience appreciate? YouTube is a versatile platform, and you can educate as you entertain your audience.
• What is the average attention span of my target audience? Sometimes you have to minimize your entertainment quotient given the field you are engaging with. If you are creating a how-to video or an explanation/demonstration video, this is very important. You do not want your audience to lose attention and switch channels midway. Consider creating segments for the subject that needs more time to make videos on. 
• How soon is enough to be consistent with my posting? Your audience is going to expect new content, and they will be coming back for more. If you keep your posting schedule errs tic or take too long a break between postings, you will lose out on your organic audience. 

3. Optimize Keywords

As YouTube viewers are heavily reliant on the platform’s search engine to discover your content, focus on strengthening the written description that accompanies the videos, you post. Moreover, as Google is its parent company, keyword-optimized YouTube content is likely to turn up on Google’s search as well. In other words, your target audience need not specifically search for you on YouTube to discover your YouTube videos if you have used the right keywords to post it with. Here is what you should do:

• Use keywords and their variations; 
• Use tags and relevant descriptions; 
• Add notes (you can add a “show notes” option to your video). These include any relevant information like your address, website, sources, permissions, and links that accompany the video. 

4. Use Subtitles

In addition to making your video clearer to those who cannot follow the speaker’s diction or tone, subtitled videos improve your chance at visibility on the platform. Subtitles make your content accessible to a broader audience as:

• Viewers of other languages can view and understand the content;
• Hearing-impaired viewers will favor your content over others. 

As medical education is sensitive, proof your title and subtitles to leave no room for error. You can use the “auto-caption” feature provided by the site but be prepared to edit and delete your subtitles if necessary. Remember, sometimes AI can be a faulty interpreter. 

5. Be Cautious

While this is true for any Content Creator, as someone from the healthcare industry, you must be doubly mindful of what you create and upload. You can build your brand by posting:

• Your back story;
• Interviews with practicing paramedics associated with your service or your organization’s services;
• Patient interviews and feedback if the consent of the patient has been received and the same has been cleared legally in n all grounds;
• Videos that showcase your facility’s services; 
• Virtual tour of procedures and your location; 
• Marketing videos that highlight you and your fellow worker’s achievements, work culture, services, and so on;
• Information about the various medical subject matter;
• Useful health tips in terms of nutrition, fitness, injury prevention, preventive care, and illness management. 

On the other hand, never:

1. Post videos of patients without their knowledge or consent.
2. Reveal identities or post anything that may reveal identity if anonymity is a request.
3. Put up anything that does not have the approval of your compliance officer.
4. Post anything that you wouldn’t speak of in-person in public. 
5. Integrate HIPAA Security Policies 

This may not seem like a crowd puller for your channel, but it will keep your channel from being reported, suspended, or banned for putting up sensitive content. As part of the medical fraternity, you must bring the best practices policy into your YouTube marketing too. If you are an organization, train your co-workers well with HIPAA policies to avoid posting videos that can create controversies.

Your integrity and commitment to the medical security policies can work towards creating positive brand awareness for you. If your organization showcases that they are trustworthy, viewers are likely to trust the content you post and become your subscribers. This will, in a term, generate more audience traction for your channel. 

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Summing Up

In conclusion, YouTube can be your digital gateway to building your brand up as a credible and competent paramedic service provider. Keep your goal in sight and remain dedicated to achieving it. Growing a channel on YouTube requires hard-work, focus, and patience. A paramedic channel is no exception. So, get your efforts together and start posting videos on YouTube. You will soon see the results!