School of Computing and Communications, The Open University, Milton Keynes, United Kingdom.
Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, The Open University, Milton Keynes, United Kingdom.
J Med Internet Res. 2024 Aug 19;26:e38786. doi: 10.2196/38786.
This scoping review accompanies our research study "The Experience of Health Professionals With Misinformation and Its Impact on Their Job Practice: Qualitative Interview Study." It surveys online health misinformation and is intended to provide an understanding of the communication 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, we considered how the level of knowledge of practitioners mitigated the effect of misinformation and additional stress factors associated with dealing with outbreaks, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, that affect communication with patients.
This study used a 5-step scoping review methodology following Arksey and O'Malley's methodology to map relevant literature published in English between January 2012 and March 2024, focusing on health misinformation on social media platforms. We defined health misinformation as a false or misleading health-related claim that is not based on valid evidence or scientific knowledge. Electronic searches were performed on PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and Google Scholar. We included studies on the extent and impact of health misinformation in social media, mitigation strategies, and health practitioners' experiences of confronting health misinformation. Our independent reviewers identified relevant articles for data extraction.
Our review synthesized findings from 70 sources on online health misinformation. It revealed a consensus regarding the significant problem of health misinformation disseminated on social network platforms. While users seek trustworthy sources of health information, they often lack adequate health and digital literacies, which is exacerbated by social and economic inequalities. Cultural contexts influence the reception of such misinformation, and health practitioners may be vulnerable, too. The effectiveness of online mitigation strategies like user correction and automatic detection are complicated by malicious actors and politicization. The role of health practitioners in this context is a challenging one. Although they 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 enhance their capacity for effective communication with patients.
This scoping review underscores the significance of addressing online health misinformation, particularly in the postpandemic era. It highlights the necessity for a collaborative global interdisciplinary effort to ensure equitable access to accurate health information, thereby empowering health practitioners to effectively combat the impact of online health misinformation. Academic research will need to be disseminated into the public domain in a way that is accessible to the public. Without equipping populations with health and digital literacies, the prevalence of online health misinformation will continue to pose a threat to global public health efforts.
本范围界定综述是我们的研究“专业人员对错误信息的体验及其对工作实践的影响：定性访谈研究”的一部分。它调查了在线健康错误信息，旨在提供对健康专业人员必须运作的沟通背景的理解。
我们的目的是说明社交媒体在引入影响健康从业者与患者有效沟通的额外错误信息来源方面的作用。此外，我们还考虑了从业者的知识水平如何减轻错误信息的影响，以及与疫情爆发（如 COVID-19 大流行）相关的其他压力因素，这些因素会影响与患者的沟通。
本研究采用五步范围界定综述方法，遵循 Arksey 和 O'Malley 的方法，对 2012 年 1 月至 2024 年 3 月期间发表的以社交媒体平台上的健康错误信息为重点的英语相关文献进行了综述。我们将健康错误信息定义为基于无效证据或科学知识的虚假或误导性健康相关声明。电子检索在 PubMed、Scopus、Web of Science 和 Google Scholar 上进行。我们纳入了关于社交媒体中健康错误信息的程度和影响、减轻策略以及健康从业者面对健康错误信息的经验的研究。我们的独立审查员确定了用于数据提取的相关文章。
我们的综述综合了 70 篇关于在线健康错误信息的来源的发现。它揭示了一个共识，即社交媒体平台上传播的健康错误信息是一个重大问题。虽然用户寻求值得信赖的健康信息来源，但他们往往缺乏足够的健康和数字素养，而社会和经济不平等则加剧了这种情况。文化背景影响着对这种错误信息的接受程度，健康从业者也可能容易受到影响。在这种情况下，健康从业者的作用是具有挑战性的。尽管他们仍然是打击健康错误信息的最佳人选，但本综述确定了一些压力因素，这些因素给他们有效履行职责的能力造成了障碍。在地方和全球各级对健康信息管理进行投资，可以增强他们与患者进行有效沟通的能力。
本范围界定综述强调了解决在线健康错误信息的重要性，尤其是在后疫情时代。它突出了需要进行全球跨学科合作，以确保公平获得准确的健康信息，从而使健康从业者能够有效应对在线健康错误信息的影响。学术研究需要以公众可以访问的方式传播到公共领域。如果不使人们具备健康和数字素养，在线健康错误信息的流行将继续对全球公共卫生努力构成威胁。
