In case of the emergence of a new disease, rumors abound. Rumors spread quickly during periods of high anxiety creating uncertainties in the world. Rumors are distinct from “misinformation,” which is false or
that is spread inadvertently, and “disinformation,” which is false or misleading information that is spread with the deliberate intent to deceive (
).
During the COVID-19 pandemic, many rumors turned out to be false. Nearly 2 years into the pandemic, 78% of adults either still believed or were unsure of whether to believe at least 1 of 8 false statements about COVID-19 or COVID-19 vaccines.
Advertisement
Although medical professionals were one of the most trusted sources of information about COVID-19 vaccines, many of them lacked the tools to have effective vaccine conversations and did not engage on social media as part of their professional mission.
During the early phase of the COVID-19 pandemic, researchers were involved in creating linked national grassroots organizations ThisIsOurShot and VacunateYa (TIOS-VY) that coordinates medical response to medical rumors, misinformation, and disinformation.
Combating COVID-19 Disinformation on Online Platforms
These organizations support trusted medical professionals (physicians, nurses, pharmacists, and medical trainees) to share accurate health information on social media and combat misinformation to build healthier communities.
In December 2020, they catalyzed the viral vaccine-selfie movement #ThisIsOurShot, where more than 25 000 healthcare professionals shared their vaccine stories on social media with a selfie or short video, transforming the private act of vaccination into a public good.
This jump-started their digital networks to engage in conversations about the COVID-19 vaccine experience and discuss the COVID-19 news of the day, including medical rumors and misinformation about COVID-19 on social media.
Their approach included 5 key synchronous elements such as building a diverse team of medical professionals, effective COVID-19 vaccine conversations, monitoring viral rumors and false information, designing public health messaging, and activating trusted messengers.
A sustainably funded, independent public-private partnership for information sharing would offer strategies to deal with the spread of rumors and false or misleading medical information while addressing challenges faced by a hybrid funding model for public health emergencies.
Second, coordinating and sharing information among stakeholders can help leverage additional human resource capacity from one sector to assist other under-resourced sectors, including in the event of coordinated online harassment against members (2✔ ✔Trusted Source
Popularization of Medical Information
Go to source).
Third, because even well-intentioned government “surveillance” raises legitimate concerns about what could ultimately be done with such data, the public-private partnerships model provides independent flexibility in detecting medical rumors or classifying what constitutes false or misleading information while prioritizing civil liberties and contributing to legitimacy.
Finally, an organized network of public and private institutions focused on public health would be able to work more effectively with social media companies than siloed government agencies.
Durable investments in media monitoring and information sharing, using a PHEOC- or ISAC-like infrastructure, could help to rapidly assess and coordinate responses to harmful medical information. This could positively impact the health of the nation.
References:
- Defining and Measuring Scientific Misinformation – (https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/00027162221084709)
- Popularization of Medical Information – (https://e-hir.org/journal/view.php?doi=10.4258/hir.2021.27.2.110)
Source: Medindia
Source link
#Antidote #Misleading #Medical #Information
