How to avoid being duped by medical misinformation

America is awash with misinformation on topics ranging from politics and business to science and healthcare. Last month, a highly educated friend sent me a text message that worried him. When I read it, I immediately suspected it was a hoax.

Here are some of the red flags:

1. The message claims to be a “CDC Advisory,” but the logo is incorrect. Also, federal agencies do not publish headlines with multiple exclamation points.
2. Referring to the virus as a ‘COVID-Omicron
3. The alarming tone of the message and insisting on its wide dissemination are hallmarks of disinformation.

To confirm my suspicions, I checked the websites of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the National Institutes of Health, and the World Health Organization. I also watched three respected news channels: The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times And The Washington Post. No one mentioned the emergence of a new and highly deadly variant. With this added assurance, I informed my friend. He was grateful for the information.

Shortly afterwards, Verify, a website aimed at helping the public distinguish between true and false information, appeared reported that the message is recycled disinformation that has been circulating on the Internet since the fall of 2022.

Indications that a story or comment is disinformation

Unfortunately, many of us fail to question the validity of a provocative story or social media post before sharing it with others. Spreading disinformation – even unintentionally – harms the public and undermines trust.

Some misleading messages, like the ones I received, are relatively easy to spot. Others are more difficult. Medline Plus, a service of the National Library of Medicine, has a useful article about it evaluating health information. Here are some tips. When you come across a concerning or suspicious post, ask yourself:

Who manages the website? Can you trust the organization to provide balanced, accurate information? Reliable sites provide a way to contact owners with questions or feedback.

What is the purpose of the website? Is it to inform the public, sell products or services, or promote the views of an individual or group? The website’s URL often provides a clue: a .gov address indicates a U.S. government agency; .edu indicates that it is from a university, college or school; .org means it is a nonprofit organization (such as an academic healthcare system, medical school, professional association, or advocacy organization); and .com is used by for-profit organizations such as pharmaceutical companies.

Is the health information of high quality? Ideally, health information should provide balanced facts based on current research. Beware of phrases designed to “hook you.”such as dramatic writing, polarizing language or the promise of a miracle cure. These are often signs of one health fraud scams or other forms of disinformation.

What about social media? As my opening example shows, receiving a message or text from a friend or family member does not guarantee that it is true. They may unintentionally spread disinformation. Use reliable sources to fact-check questionable claims. If you cannot confirm that a message is true, do not share it with others.

Reliable sources of health information

Healthcare workers and the public can rely on it high integrity sources that are updated regularly, such as the NIH, the NLM and the CDC. Reputable healthcare systems such as the Mayo Clinic and Cleveland Clinic also offer patient information. So do many medical schools and professional associations, including the American College of Physicians, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American Academy of Family Physicians.

If you are still unsure, you should consult your personal doctor, nurse or other healthcare provider you trust. An in-person meeting is best, but a virtual visit or phone call will suffice if an office visit is not feasible.

Dealing with media bias

Media bias is as old as the United States. From 1880 to 1980, however, the news media tended to become less partisan, as a growing number of newspapers built a wall of separation between their journalists (who report the news) and their editorial staff (who write opinions and commentary).

In the early 1980s, the line began to blur again with the rise of talk radio and cable news. Some media companies realized that they could build large audiences by combining news with commentary aimed at appealing to certain points of view.

The rise of social media in the early 2000s accelerated this trend. The algorithms that social media platforms use discern the opinions and preferences of each user and use the data to fuel increasingly engaging content designed to capture and hold the user’s attention and generate more ‘clicks’. In addition to increasing sales and attracting ‘content creators’ who are eager to grow their number of followers; this approach provides fertile ground for spreaders of disinformation. Now, AI’s growing ability to produce realistic-looking “deep fakes” makes it harder than ever to distinguish truth from lies.

Ultimately it’s up to us

Reversing these social and technological trends will not be easy. Now that the use of disinformation has become politicized, the line between “freedom of expression” and the deliberate spreading of lies is becoming increasingly blurred. no longer clear. During the COVID-19 pandemic, misinformation convinced tens of millions of Americans to reject long-respected sources of health information and turn instead to individuals and organizations that opposed vaccination, advocated ineffective treatments, and amplified political views. In today’s hyper-polarized environment, it is not clear what can be done to restore trust.

Francis Collinsformer director of the NIH, recently wrote: “We are in serious trouble when some believe that their faith requires them to distrust science, or when others believe that political allegiances are a better source of wisdom than truth, faith, or science… In In many fallen aspects of our daily lives, the anchor for objective truth seems to have been lost.”

Everyone needs a basic level of health literacy to protect their well-being and the health of those they love. Cautious shoppers do their homework before making big purchases. We must do the same before making important health decisions.