Poor health advice and fraud treatment are as old as time. The early Christian was instructed to swallow devotional images of saints to cure diseases and pain, while in the 18th century Quack sold “snake oil” as a treatment for health problems.
In the era of social media, medical misinformation has become much faster than Charlton or priest who travels. With millions of followers on a finger tap, those affected when affected for health and medical advice are affected.
A new study published in the journal Jama network openAbout 85% of medical trials provide misleading or potentially harmful false medical advice to social media posts that failed to mention significant loss discoveries as overdiagnosis or over -use.
The authors wrote, “Thesis data displays the need for strong regulation of misleading medical information on social media.”
Medical misinformation is prevalent on social media
Researchers say that social media posts are a major contributor for overdiagnosis and inkreet demented for unnecessary treatments. Thesis is recognized as a major health threat.
Researchers say that overdiagnosis removes healthcare resources from dealing with diseases that are diagnosed and under -forstrunded, the researchers say. Treatment can cause side effects such as drug-induced headache.
Researchers analyzed 982 social media posts from Instagram and Tikokok affected people with approximately 200 million followers to assess their accuracy and potential impact on the audience. Full-bodies were the post focus discovering five specific medical tests as MRI scans and testosterone-tier checks.
Of thesis, only 15% referred to the potential losses associated with medical tests.
Financial incentive prejudice medical advice on social media
Almost all the affected in the sample gave a lack to medical expertise to provide accurate information. Only 6% posts include certain types of medical evidence.
Instead, the affected people tried to rely on evidence of anecdotes or cherry-pinged data to promote tests that could not be necessary or even benefits.
For example, multi-cancer early detection tests and intestine microbiome tests are heavy on social media. These tests are often necessary to maintain good health, but scientific evidence supporting their widespread use is limited.
“Clearly, this new evidence of motivational and misleading information on approximately 1,000 positions demands reactions to help possible overdiagnosis and overdose,” the authors wrote.
More than two-thirds of the affected people found that they were getting financial incentives to promote the test, which they were posting.
This financial incentive can lead to biased information, where the benefits of tests are exaggerated, and risks are reduced.
How to save yourself online
Reliable and science-based health advice can be difficult to find online, but indicates research to many things that anyone can protect from misinformation:
- Verify the source: Always check for creditics of a person providing medical advice. Influencers may not have the necessary medical background to provide reliable information.
- Protect yourself against misleading information: Think about the content you see critically. Ask yourself whether the informer is referring to scientific evidence from iconic sources.
- Fact-checked information: Use reliable sources to make facts and facts shared by the affected. Websites like NHS, Mayo Clinic and WHO provide accurate and updated information.
- Think before sharing: Before you pass anything, consider whether it may be untrue or harm. Checking the accuracy of information with an iconic source can cut the lie sharing.
- Answer your media literacy skills: Playing science-supported games including Spot the Troll and Bad News, can reduce your chances of trusting false health information.
Edited by: Matthew Ward Egius
Source
Posts about possible medical tests for social media overdiagnosis
