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Identifier

000441858

Title

Ψευδοεπιστήμη και διαχείριση ψευδών ειδήσεων στο διαδίκτυο, αναφορικά με θέματα υγείας : Μια συστηματική ανασκόπηση

Alternative Title

Health – related pseudoscience and management of fake news on the internet

Author

Ζερβακάκη Αριστέα

Thesis advisor

Τσιλιγιάννη, Ιωάννα
Ψαρουλάκη, Άννα
Μπουλουκάκη, Ιζόλδη

Abstract

Introduction: Searching for health advice online along with the growing spread of health misinformation on social media has become a major public health problem. As we are in a new era which has described as a fake news exposure period, it is too easy to find pseudoscientific advices or alternative medicine on the internet which can put public health at risk. Purpose: To examine the existing literature to what degree non-scientific internet practical ideas or therapies are embraced.. To underline the problem and to evaluate possible solutions, proposals regarding the rapid increase of misinformation on the internet. Methodology: A systematic review was carried out in accordance with Prisma guidelines. The research questions that guided the review were a) Is the health information provided on the internet convincing to the public and to what extent are non-scientific ideas, practices or treatments based on the internet followed? b) What are the possible solution proposals to address the problem of misinformation of the public about health issues on the internet? The first question included observational studies, systematic review studies and background studies, from the MedLine and Google Scholar search databases for the period 2016-2021, aimed at the general public over the age of 18 and not at health professionals. The second question included randomized clinical trials, systematic review studies and background studies, from the MedLine and Google Scholar search databases for the period 2016-2021, targeting the general public over the age of 18 and not health professionals. Misinformation, pseudo-scientific views and conspiracy theories were the main outcomes. Results: Thirty-five studies were included in the first question and eleven in the second. Regarding the first research question, in twenty - seven studies the outcome was misinformation, in three studies the outcome was pseudoscience and in two studies the outcome was inaccuracy. In two studies the outcome was misinformation and conspiracy theories and in one study the outcome was misinformation and inaccuracy. The health sectors affected by misinformation and conspiracy theories were mainly vaccination and the COVID-19 pandemic. Alternative therapies for cancer and allergic conditions were associated with pseudoscience on the internet. Regarding the second research question, six studies were about proposed solutions and five about general recommendations. The cooperation between health professionals, the training on social media, the communication with the patient and the use of emotion mentioned as the mainly proposed solutions. Finally, it was proposed that health care providers should maximize messaging on social media, governments develop evidence-based digital actions and share expertise and scientific findings. Conclusions: Our findings confirm the distribution of misinformation on the internet about health issues and the negative impact on the general population regarding decision-making. Given the increasing prevalence of misinformation, health care providers and leaders should be more vigilant and implement information and communication strategies.

Language

Greek

Subject

Internet

Misinformation

Pseudoscience

ehealth

Ηλεκτρονική υγεία

Issue date

2021-07-29

Collection

School/Department--School of Medicine--Department of Medicine--Post-graduate theses