How to protect yourself from disinformation and disinformation of online health
In the era of social media and artificial intelligence (AI), it becomes more and more difficult to discern the myth of facts. Our experts recommend a few steps that you can take to protect yourself from disinformation and disinformation of health dangerous online.
Check their identification information
Look for the identification information for the person publishing the information, advises Teplinsky. Ideally, they should be a doctor or other healthcare professional who works in the field of oncology. But do not stop taking a look at the identification letters listed after their name in their social media biography. Google their names and see if you can connect them to a renowned hospital system, she says. Crossed references to ensure that they have a professional profile on the website of this hospital.
A warning: sometimes crooks pretend to be doctors renowned online, and with the introduction of AI, it unfortunately becomes easier to do. Due to this type of identity theft, consulting the history of a doctor, the references and the hospital where they work is not infallible, but it is a start.
Look for a financial stake
Roth and Teplinsky agree: when you see information on online health, one of the first things you need to do is investigate whether the person who published it has something to gain financially. For example, they can sell juice cleansing via an affiliation link, where they win a commission on their sales. Or maybe they have a paid partnership with a company of supplements that they may or may not disclose.
Beware of everything they could sell or promote for their own financial gain, such as a “cancer prevention” group coaching program or any type of unavporated cancer screening, warns Roth. When a price is attached, our experts plan, it is a giant red flag.
Ask for proof
“Whenever I post [health information] On social networks, I include a link to the [relevant] Study, ”explains Teplinsky. She encourages people not to take health information online at their nominal value. Look for studies that support the information presented, she says.
This is where it can be complicated, warns Teplinsky. Some people may refer to scientific studies in their publications on social networks, but they are not applicable to you and your medical situation – or humans in general! For example, this could happen if a study was carried out solely on animals and had no human test, or if there was a human test but only a handful of people participated. In addition, a clinical trial carried out for a different type of cancer, or even a different subtype of the type of cancer you have, may not apply to you.
It is not the patient’s responsibility to sift through online clinical trials and try to understand all of this, says Teplinsky. If you see information on an online study and you are curious about it, send the link to your oncologist and ask them if it is a treatment option that may suit you or take into account, she says.
Perform everything by your medical team
Whether the health information you see online concerns supplements, juice cleaning, cancer surveillance and screening methods, or anything else about cancer, the advice of our experts are the same: before following all the advice you saw online, it is essential to manage it by your medical team. They will be able to separate the facts from fiction and help you take the action plan based on evidence and medically appropriate that best suits you and your health and your well-being.
In summary, Roth says, “Be careful there.”
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