“Wellness influencers,” bots, and even government officials are spreading inaccurate health information, making for one of the biggest current public health challenges to date.
While our team focuses on partnering with reputable physicians, patient and caregiver influencers, there are plenty of others spreading misinformation through social media accounts and coordinated online campaigns. Much of it is inaccurate, aka misinformation. Some of it is intentionally misleading, aka disinformation.
The result is confusion, delayed care and growing distrust in healthcare institutions. Recent Pew Research findings show that 4 in 10 U.S. adults get health and wellness information from social media influencers and podcasts. However, trust is low. And for good reason. It’s hard to decipher what’s real these days.
Health misinformation came up during the BIO Patient Advocacy Changemakers Event, where I spoke on a panel with patient advocacy leaders about how organizations can strengthen their role as trusted sources of health education. To combat misinformation across digital channels, patient advocacy organizations are uniquely positioned to provide credible, evidence-based information delivered with empathy and consistency.
Trust Built Through Consistency
Many organizations wait to respond until misinformation has already gained momentum.
But consistent, accurate education establishes credibility. Patient advocacy organizations have the opportunity to educate communities in many ways, including social media, websites, newsletters, webinars, and community events. These all give opportunities to explain complex topics, answer questions, and offer reliable resources that people can confidently trust and share with their families and friends.
While baseline education is always important, it’s also critical to address conspiracies, trends and misinformation as they arise.
Online Listening is Key to Staying Ahead
Monitoring online conversations is critical to staying ahead of misinformation. Online conversation trends often reveal emerging concerns anywhere from weeks to days before national news covers it.
What this looks like in patient communities: questions, conspiracies and speculation grows. Conversation volume often increases during the day or two before a story reaches mainstream media. Organizations that actively monitor these discussions can gain valuable time to prepare their messaging.
Understand the Online Environment
It’s important to remember that social media conversation trends does not always represent genuine public opinion.
Coordinated bot networks and organized misinformation campaigns can make conversations appear to be growing in number, yet at times they are only creating the false impression that they’re more accepted.
Don’t assume that every spike in conversation reflects authentic patient or public sentiment.
Understanding the source of online activity helps organizations respond strategically while staying focused on the needs of real patients. Tracking conversations across X can be less reliable than patient forums and Facebook groups.
Preparing Communications and Making Your Experts Easy to Find
Preparing to address misinformation may include:
- Briefing leadership and coordinating internal communications
- Developing educational resources for social media, websites and newsletters
- Identifying the right spokespeople before public attention intensifies
- Proactive outreach to media outlets
In today’s online environment, journalists are regularly looking for credible experts who can explain complex healthcare issues. One of the first places they search is LinkedIn.
Both executive and employee profiles should include current photos, accurate titles, professional “About Summaries” and public-facing contact information. Default settings on LinkedIn are for email addresses to only be visible if you are connected to someone, and even then they are often personal vs. work emails. We recommend adding work emails into the About Summary section for easier reference. Also ensure potential spokespeople or media contacts are easy to find on your website.
The easier it is to identify qualified experts, the more likely accurate voices will be included in important healthcare stories.
Patients Deserve Access to Trusted Information
Your organization has the opportunity to be the trusted voice patients and caregivers are searching for. Don’t wait for crises to dictate your communication strategy. Voronyx provides the specialized support you need to stay ahead—from expert social listening and strategic spokesperson identification to optimizing LinkedIn profiles and developing impactful patient education.
Reach out to us to strengthen your digital presence and ensure your voice is heard, respected, and easy to find when it matters most.
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