Skip to content
  • About
  • Contact
  • Contribute
  • Book
  • Careers
  • Podcast
  • Recommended
  • Speaking
  • All
  • Physician
  • Practice
  • Policy
  • Finance
  • Conditions
  • .edu
  • Patient
  • Meds
  • Tech
  • Social
  • Video
    • All
    • Physician
    • Practice
    • Policy
    • Finance
    • Conditions
    • .edu
    • Patient
    • Meds
    • Tech
    • Social
    • Video
    • About
    • Contact
    • Contribute
    • Book
    • Careers
    • Podcast
    • Recommended
    • Speaking

Health misinformation’s deadly impact

Neha Gour
Policy
July 29, 2023
Share
Tweet
Share

Turning into vegetarians can cure COVID-19, birth control pills cause abortions, or eating ginger is 10,000 times more effective than chemotherapy at curing cancer were some casually trending health misinformation in the past year. But what is health misinformation, and why is it a serious public health concern?

Health misinformation refers to health-related information that is false, unverified, and lacking scientific evidence. It poses a significant threat to public health as it directly influences individual choices, collective decision-making, and societal behavior. This misinformation often leads people to make dangerous decisions based on false information. During the COVID-19 pandemic, health misinformation emerged as a global crisis, and its impact has only continued to grow at an alarming rate.

Today, a large number of people rely on new media technologies such as online encyclopedias, social media channels, and mobile health (mHealth) platforms to access health-related information. While these platforms enable swift information exchange, the lack of accountability, ineffective gatekeeping, and inadequate content regulation contribute to the uncontrolled spread of health misinformation. Moreover, widespread health illiteracy, linguistic barriers, and gullible social media users who struggle to evaluate health information further facilitate the rampant dissemination of unverified, false, and anti-scientific health claims.

Another concerning aspect is the increasing influence of social media influencers who promote products on platforms like Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube, often spreading unverified, unscientific, and misleading health recommendations. The rise of social media health influencers, lacking proper qualifications or certifications, has become apparent. The appeal of flashy photo filters, video editing techniques, and the constant pressure to produce new content to maintain followership contribute to the proliferation of visual health misinformation. In today’s digital age, a person’s perceived expertise often correlates with the number of social media followers they have. Additionally, there is a discreet market that sells artificial social media followers in the form of bots and fake accounts, further deceiving the public and compromising the credibility, reliability, and accuracy of health information.

The increasing spread of health misinformation has detrimental consequences, including suboptimal preventive care, growing vaccine hesitancy, low medication adherence, poor patient-provider communication, and heightened risks of illness and death. As responsible citizens, it is crucial for us to identify and address any health misinformation that may harm our health or that of our loved ones.

In the post-pandemic era, it is important for the general public to develop both health literacy and digital literacy to effectively recognize, evaluate, and report health misinformation. For individuals who rely on new media for health information, the following recommendations are valuable:

Always check the primary source. The credibility of the information source is crucial in assessing its accuracy, reliability, and trustworthiness.

Look for professional qualifications. Verify the expertise of the person sharing health advice. Do they possess the necessary educational qualifications or certifications? Do they consistently share reliable health information? It is advisable to rely on information from qualified health experts only.

Think critically. Adopt a critical approach to judge, question, and analyze health information rather than blindly accepting it. This mindset will help determine the authenticity and dependability of the information.

Be wary of conspiracies. Consider whether the information source or author has biases or prejudices that may contribute to the inclusion of health information within a conspiracy theory. Personal agendas can lead to falsehood and deception.

Look for fact-checking websites. The World Health Organization, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the National Library of Medicine, and the National Institutes of Health are the most authentic websites to check for facts and reliable health information. In addition, websites like FlackCheck, SciCheck, and Snopes analyze misinformation and are also good sources to double-check health information before acting upon them or sharing it further with your loved ones.

Neha Gour is a graduate student.

Prev

How a teenager with seizures became the face of trauma-informed care

July 29, 2023 Kevin 0
…
Next

How to protect your epithelial barriers and improve your health [PODCAST]

July 29, 2023 Kevin 0
…

ADVERTISEMENT

Tagged as: Mainstream media

Post navigation

< Previous Post
How a teenager with seizures became the face of trauma-informed care
Next Post >
How to protect your epithelial barriers and improve your health [PODCAST]

ADVERTISEMENT

Related Posts

  • Physician burnout: the impact of social media on mental health and the urgent need for change

    Aaron Morgenstein, MD & Amy Bissada, DO & Jen Barna, MD
  • Are negative news cycles and social media injurious to our health?

    Rabia Jalal, MD
  • Sharing mental health issues on social media

    Tarena Lofton
  • How social media can help or hurt your health care career

    Health eCareers
  • From penicillin to digital health: the impact of social media on medicine

    Homer Moutran, MD, MBA, Caline El-Khoury, PhD, and Danielle Wilson
  • 3 ways to advance the credibility of online health information

    Robert Pearl, MD

More in Policy

  • Bundled payments in Medicare: Will fixed pricing reshape surgery costs?

    AMA Committee on Economics and Quality in Medicine, Medical Student Section
  • Who gets to be well in America: Immigrant health is on the line

    Joshua Vasquez, MD
  • Online eye exams spark legal battle over health care access

    Joshua Windham, JD and Daryl James
  • The One Big Beautiful Bill and the fragile heart of rural health care

    Holland Haynie, MD
  • Why health care leaders fail at execution—and how to fix it

    Dave Cummings, RN
  • Healing the doctor-patient relationship by attacking administrative inefficiencies

    Allen Fredrickson
  • Most Popular

  • Past Week

    • Who gets to be well in America: Immigrant health is on the line

      Joshua Vasquez, MD | Policy
    • Why specialist pain clinics and addiction treatment services require strong primary care

      Olumuyiwa Bamgbade, MD | Conditions
    • Harassment and overreach are driving physicians to quit

      Olumuyiwa Bamgbade, MD | Physician
    • Why peer support can save lives in high-pressure medical careers

      Maire Daugharty, MD | Conditions
    • When a medical office sublease turns into a legal nightmare

      Ralph Messo, DO | Physician
    • Addressing menstrual health inequities in adolescents

      Callia Georgoulis | Conditions
  • Past 6 Months

    • Forced voicemail and diagnosis codes are endangering patient access to medications

      Arthur Lazarus, MD, MBA | Meds
    • How President Biden’s cognitive health shapes political and legal trust

      Muhamad Aly Rifai, MD | Conditions
    • Why are medical students turning away from primary care? [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • The One Big Beautiful Bill and the fragile heart of rural health care

      Holland Haynie, MD | Policy
    • Who gets to be well in America: Immigrant health is on the line

      Joshua Vasquez, MD | Policy
    • Why “do no harm” might be harming modern medicine

      Sabooh S. Mubbashar, MD | Physician
  • Recent Posts

    • How shared language saved a patient from isolation

      Syed Ahmad Moosa, MD | Physician
    • The shocking risk every smart student faces when applying to medical school

      Curtis G. Graham, MD | Physician
    • Clinical ghosts and why they haunt our exam rooms

      Kara Wada, MD | Conditions
    • High blood pressure’s hidden impact on kidney health in older adults

      Edmond Kubi Appiah, MPH | Conditions
    • Deep transcranial magnetic stimulation for depression [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • How declining MMR vaccination rates put future generations at risk

      Ambika Sharma, Onyi Oligbo, and Katrina Green, MD | Conditions

Subscribe to KevinMD and never miss a story!

Get free updates delivered free to your inbox.


Find jobs at
Careers by KevinMD.com

Search thousands of physician, PA, NP, and CRNA jobs now.

Learn more

View 4 Comments >

Founded in 2004 by Kevin Pho, MD, KevinMD.com is the web’s leading platform where physicians, advanced practitioners, nurses, medical students, and patients share their insight and tell their stories.

Social

  • Like on Facebook
  • Follow on Twitter
  • Connect on Linkedin
  • Subscribe on Youtube
  • Instagram

ADVERTISEMENT

  • Most Popular

  • Past Week

    • Who gets to be well in America: Immigrant health is on the line

      Joshua Vasquez, MD | Policy
    • Why specialist pain clinics and addiction treatment services require strong primary care

      Olumuyiwa Bamgbade, MD | Conditions
    • Harassment and overreach are driving physicians to quit

      Olumuyiwa Bamgbade, MD | Physician
    • Why peer support can save lives in high-pressure medical careers

      Maire Daugharty, MD | Conditions
    • When a medical office sublease turns into a legal nightmare

      Ralph Messo, DO | Physician
    • Addressing menstrual health inequities in adolescents

      Callia Georgoulis | Conditions
  • Past 6 Months

    • Forced voicemail and diagnosis codes are endangering patient access to medications

      Arthur Lazarus, MD, MBA | Meds
    • How President Biden’s cognitive health shapes political and legal trust

      Muhamad Aly Rifai, MD | Conditions
    • Why are medical students turning away from primary care? [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • The One Big Beautiful Bill and the fragile heart of rural health care

      Holland Haynie, MD | Policy
    • Who gets to be well in America: Immigrant health is on the line

      Joshua Vasquez, MD | Policy
    • Why “do no harm” might be harming modern medicine

      Sabooh S. Mubbashar, MD | Physician
  • Recent Posts

    • How shared language saved a patient from isolation

      Syed Ahmad Moosa, MD | Physician
    • The shocking risk every smart student faces when applying to medical school

      Curtis G. Graham, MD | Physician
    • Clinical ghosts and why they haunt our exam rooms

      Kara Wada, MD | Conditions
    • High blood pressure’s hidden impact on kidney health in older adults

      Edmond Kubi Appiah, MPH | Conditions
    • Deep transcranial magnetic stimulation for depression [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • How declining MMR vaccination rates put future generations at risk

      Ambika Sharma, Onyi Oligbo, and Katrina Green, MD | Conditions

MedPage Today Professional

An Everyday Health Property Medpage Today
  • Terms of Use | Disclaimer
  • Privacy Policy
  • DMCA Policy
All Content © KevinMD, LLC
Site by Outthink Group

Health misinformation’s deadly impact
4 comments

Comments are moderated before they are published. Please read the comment policy.

Loading Comments...