Explore how infection preventionists combat the rise of healthcare misinformation in the digital age. Learn strategies to promote credible information, build trust, and enhance public health literacy.
New data from a survey fielded in May 2025 shows that physicians are seeing a dramatic increase in the belief in misinformation from their patients since the Covid pandemic, with 61% of doctors in a recent survey saying they encountered patients influenced by false information in the past year.
Before speaking about how we can contest this dangerous trend, let's begin with some definitions:- Misinformation, false information based on unclear evidence, leads people to believe what they see is accurate.
- Disinformation is the deliberate spread of false information designed to mislead public opinion.
Both contribute to the infodemic, which creates a lack of trust in public health, science, and healthcare, and can lead patients to avoid healthcare recommendations or follow unproven advice. Healthcare misinformation often relies on limited statistics without showing the full picture, or can be based on outdated information that has since been disproven. AI-generated insights also play a factor, as these tools often don’t have the vetting needed to distill a false premise from credible information. With the ever-increasing use of digital tools like social media and AI, incorrect information can spread quicker than ever, but as infection preventionists, we have the tools to effectively combat the spread.
Infection Preventionists' role in promoting credible healthcare information
As a result of the pandemic and increased infection outbreaks, like the recent US rise in measles cases, IPs have had increased public visibility. As the stewards of public health, we are trusted to provide accurate, unbiased information that helps guide appropriate care. Identifying reliable sources for infection information and fact checking have always been part of our role, but these practices are more important than ever amidst the rise in medical misinformation.
IPs are uniquely positioned to promote credible health information at the healthcare system level, but we also play a key role outside of the hospital as expert influencers within our own communities. This begins with encouraging patients, healthcare professionals, families and friends to responsibly review and discern the health information they see online. National organizations like the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology (APIC) and the Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America (SHEA) offer evidence-based tools and resources to support IPs combating misinformation on the ground. These organizations support consistent messaging across public health departments and healthcare systems, as well, which reinforces the credibility in addressing misinformation head-on.
The double-edged sword of technology
As technology expands, so does the amount of inaccurate information within the digital sphere. A key example where we’ve seen growth in misinformation is on social media, but other digital platforms like blogs, Reddit, and AI bots also contribute to the spread. The lack of guardrails on these platforms opens the door to spread inaccuracies and frame an opinion as fact in a misleading way, whether deliberately or not.
However, technology also has an essential role to play in helping to identify and monitor the spread of questionable information. If used correctly and with the proper guidelines, technology can help amplify credible sources and position local experts with relevance to the region as central sources of truth to larger communities. In this way, social media can also serve as a key tool for IPs to engage with a wider audience and help point to credible sources publicly to tackle misinformation directly.
Promoting health literacy throughout the patient journey
Hospital and IP leaders must ensure that the patient and family education that we offer is consistently accurate, relevant, and up to date. This information is most impactful when shared at the clinic or primary care level, prior to a hospitalization event, as conversations around health misinformation are usually better received by a trusted healthcare provider that has a relationship with the patient rather than a healthcare provider they just met.
Being proactive in addressing topics before risks take place can help patients avoid hospitalizations and receive the conversation more positively. Whether at the community or individual level, it’s important that healthcare workers across the patient journey, from primary care to emergency settings, are equally prepared to handle conversations about misinformation and promote public health literacy.
Tips for taking action to combat medical misinformation
There are numerous strategies that equip IPs to handle this immensely important part of the role and support empathetic and impactful conversations to combat the healthcare infodemic.
Remain aware and prepared
IPs should stay up to date on the latest health topics and be ready to present credible sources to those with questions for both proactive and reactive engagement. Having a deep awareness of your audience and their needs helps to more easily provide information that’s both relevant to their experience and builds a trusting relationship with the healthcare team.
Collaboration
Collaborate across hospital leadership, as well as more widely with other IP leadership, whether across regions, states or further beyond, supports collective action against misinformation. Working with others across healthcare leadership keeps teams prepared to proactively engage with patients and families to provide the most accurate, up to date information.
Infusing empathy
Infuse empathy into conversations around misinformation can lead to greater trust with patients and communities. While we of course want to correct misinformation, it’s important to acknowledge the real stories and real people who have experienced adverse reactions to medical interventions. Encouraging patients to ask questions goes both ways. Healthcare workers should be encouraging patients and friends to think critically about the information they see online to make informed decisions about their care. We also can’t lean too heavily in one direction where we fail to inform people about real risks, though they may be rare. Thoughtlessly dismissing their experiences or skepticism will create further distrust between providers and patients.
Supporting the role of the infection preventionists in combating misinformation
IPs and healthcare professionals have the resources and knowledge to serve as a voice for larger communities. We can share credible sources outside of the healthcare environment and promote healthcare literacy on a larger scale and in environments where they have established personal trust. We can also utilize technology and digital media to spread accurate information more publicly and throughout their personal sphere of influence. Being an expert IP doesn’t stop at the hospital doors. It’s part of our responsibility to help patients have the most credible information to make the most informed decisions about their care. Sentri7 Infection Prevention empowers Infection Preventionists (IPs) by providing accurate, evidence-based guidance, helping us combat misinformation with confidence and credibility.
