JMIR Publications

ABSTRACT

This literature review accompanies our qualitative research study Experience of health professionals with misinformation and its impact on their job practice. This paper is a survey of the literature relating to web-based health misinformation and is intended to provide an understanding of the misinformation context in which health professionals must operate.

Our objective was to illustrate the impact of social media in introducing additional sources of misinformation that impact health practitioners’ ability to communicate effectively with their patients. In addition, the level of knowledge held by practitioners to mitigate the effect of misinformation and additional stress factors associated with dealing with outbreaks, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, which, in turn, affect communication with patients, were considered.

We began by searching for peer-reviewed articles and gray literature published in English between 2012 and August 2022, with a focus on surveying the literature about health misinformation on social media platforms. We included articles that examined the extent of health misinformation on these platforms, articles that focused on the impact of health misinformation in social media, articles discussing mitigation strategies and their effectiveness, and articles dealing with health practitioners’ experiences of confronting health misinformation. As a result of these searches, further relevant contextual factors emerged, including the politicization of health misinformation.

Our survey of the literature revealed a high degree of consensus that a significant problem of health misinformation exists, disseminated on social network platforms. Although users seek trustworthy sources of health information, they are often lacking sufficient levels of health and digital literacies, exacerbated by coexisting social and economic inequalities. The reception of web-based health misinformation is also shaped by cultural contexts, and research suggests that health practitioners may be as vulnerable to health misinformation as other users. The effectiveness and outcomes of mitigation strategies such as user correction and automatic detection are contested, and the problem of web-based health misinformation is further complicated by the operation of malicious actors and the politicization of the issue. Although health practitioners are still best placed to combat health misinformation, this review identified stressors that create barriers to their abilities to do this well. Investment in health information management at local and global levels could develop mitigation strategies for health practitioners to enhance their capacity to provide knowledgeable one-to-one communication with patients.

As the world emerges from the pandemic, a collaborative, global interdisciplinary effort to provide equitable access to accurate health information will be needed to support health practitioners in combating the impact of web-based health misinformation. Without strategies to equip populations with health and digital literacies, the prevalence of web-based health misinformation will continue to pose a threat to global public health efforts.