Drug information, misinformation, and disinformation on social media: a content analysis study
Drug information, misinformation, and disinformation on social media: a content analysis study
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DOI：
10.1057/s41271-018-0131-2
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发表时间：
2018-08-01
影响因子：
3.8
通讯作者：
Sequeira, Reginald P.
中科院分区：
文献类型：
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作者：
Al Khaja, Khalid A. J.;AlKhaja, Alwaleed K.;Sequeira, Reginald P.
通过社交媒体传播误导性药物信息可能对公众健康有害。这项研究在巴林进行，评估了22个社交媒体关于药物（72.7%）、膳食补充剂（22.7%）和有毒双酚a（4.5%）的真实性。它们作为案例在WhatsApp平台上流传。我们将这些说法分为客观上正确、错误和可能具有误导性。内容分析显示，“潜在误导”的说法是最常见的信息（59.1%）。他们往往在没有充分证据的情况下夸大功效或安全性。虚假索赔（27.3%）可能是由于不正当竞争或欺诈。总体而言，13.6%的信息客观上是真实的，可以经受住监管审查。社交媒体上大多数与毒品有关的信息可能具有误导性或虚假声明，缺乏可靠的证据支持。出于公共利益的考虑，监管部门应该对通过社交媒体平台传播的此类信息进行监控。
Dissemination of misleading drug information through social media can be detrimental to the health of the public. This study, carried out in Bahrain, evaluated the truthfulness of 22 social media claims about drugs (72.7%), dietary supplements (22.7%), and toxic bisphenol-A (4.5%). They circulated on WhatsApp platform, as case studies. We categorized claims as objectively true, false, or potentially misleading. The content analysis revealed that "potentially misleading" claims were the most frequent messages (59.1%). They tend to exaggerate the efficacy or safety without sufficient evidence to substantiate claims. False claims (27.3%) were likely due to unfair competition or deception. Overall, 13.6% of the messages were objectively true claims that could withstand regulatory scrutiny. Majority of the drug-related messages on social media were potentially misleading or false claims that lacked credible evidence to support them. In the public interest, regulatory authorities should monitor such information disseminated via social media platforms.