Health care professionals are flocking to social media platforms, such as Twitter and Facebook, to make sure people understand the truth when it comes to their health.

Social media bots, search engine optimization and the spread of misinformation have made it more challenging than ever for people to find accurate and helpful information about their health

“It’s very difficult to tell what’s real and what’s not,” Gunter told Healio. “When something looks very reputable and it’s all written in the same language, how does the consumer tell the difference?”

The problem of health misinformation has been amplified in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic

“There are good resources of information out there,” Bloomgarden told Healio. “It can be hard to know what to trust because the nature of science, especially science that is completely new, is always changing.”

misinformation is spread is through websites that appear to have informational health articles, but whose purpose is to promote a false medical conspiracy or sell a product. Providers should make sure individuals are aware of this and guide them away from these types of websites.

How to fight the ‘infodemic

Health care professionals do not need to have a large social media following to help guide the public toward accurate health information. 

Providers can also use social media to combat health misinformation, even if they have only a small group of followers or a private profile.