Misinformation about health and health care is widespread in the United States, according to a recent survey by KFF (formerly the Kaiser Family Foundation). The good news is that most people don't believe or act on false claims about such issues as vaccine safety. However, misinformation can be widely disseminated via social media and the internet, sometimes with political spin, contributing to public confusion and uncertainty about complex health topics. Examples include controversies over COVID-19 protective measures and treatment, reproductive health options, and firearms safety.

Some 96% of adult respondents said they had heard at least one of 10 health-related false claims listed in the KFF survey, including 65% of respondents who heard or read that COVID-19 vaccines killed thousands of otherwise healthy people or that the MMR vaccine causes autism in children. The survey found greater susceptibility to misinformation among rural (rather than urban or suburban) respondents as well as those with lower education levels. Another finding was that people who identify politically as Republicans were more likely to select “probably” or “definitely” true when asked about certain falsehoods. Still, like their counterparts who leaned the other way on these questions, most respondents ultimately landed in the researchers' “malleable middle” category, meaning they were open to persuasion. To read about the survey, go to www.kff.org/coronavirus-covid-19/poll-finding/kff-health-misinformation-tracking-poll-pilot.

Misinformation about health isn't a new problem—think “snake oil” and patent medicine salesmen of the Old West—but the internet has enabled rapid dissemination of health-related claims that are at odds with scientific knowledge. U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy has decried it as a “serious threat to public health,” though not solely a U.S. phenomenon. The World Health Organization and the United Nations jointly labeled the spread of erroneous health information as an “infodemic,” undermining efforts to contain the spread of AIDS in Africa and discouraging people in many countries from seeking treatment for cancer and heart disease.

While responsible news organizations help to disseminate accurate health information (and most respondents to the KFF survey said they relied on these media sources), public opinion surveys consistently rank clinicians as the most trusted sources. This offers opportunities for nurses to mitigate the damaging effect of misinformation by helping patients separate truth from fiction. In doing so, nurses can also address underlying issues such as distrust of “the system,” poor health literacy, and personal anxiety. Other recommended strategies for nurses include using social media to share evidence-based accurate and nonpartisan information, partnering with community organizations to address health misinformation, and sharing resources from government health programs such as the Community Engagement Alliance of the National Institutes of Health.—Liz Seegert