From inbox alerts to online symptom searches, the flood of health information is affecting both parties in the exam room.
Navigating what’s credible and what’s confusing has become an inevitable part of the care journey. For patients, the information can be overwhelming. For practitioners, combating misleading health information feels like an endless and exhausting battle.
It’s easy to stop at simply correcting a misconception. But today, going further to guide patients in navigating the digital health landscape is a role all practitioners must take on to protect patient health long-term.
Let’s explore a few ways you can help patients build healthier online habits, benefiting both their care and your practice.
A study from 2021 found that 86 percent of people who searched for health information online were confident it was credible. Since then, the volume and sophistication of content have exploded. As it scales across social media, apps, and search engines, patients are not just passively consuming information; they’re making decisions based on it.
If you want to continue delivering high-quality care, you must play an essential role as digital health guides. Otherwise, the consequences can be serious. Patients may delay care, self-diagnose incorrectly, or pursue unproven treatments and tests based on content they review.
Here are a few key tactics that will guide patients through online health content and build digital literacy:
Audit your own digital footprint: Combating misinformation starts with looking at your own online presence. Patients often Google their providers, and if your online presence is outdated or lacks trustworthy content, they may turn to less reliable sources. Consider updating your practice website or social profiles with vetted resources and FAQs. If your practice has a public profile, it's important to review which accounts are being followed. Interactions with sources that spread false health information may be perceived by patients as endorsement.
Include digital literacy questions in intake forms: Ask if patients use social media, Google, or AI tools to find health information. This helps you understand how each patient is finding their health information and address potential misinformation risks early, if needed.
Train staff to recognize misinformation cues: Misinformation isn’t confined to just the exam room. Front desk staff, nurses, and assistants often hear patient concerns first. Equipping them to flag misinformation-related questions ahead of appointments can help to proactively address issues earlier in the visit.
Use patient portals and digital tools to preempt misinformation: Embed links to trusted sources, myth-busting articles, or short explainers in follow-up notes. Consider sending a monthly newsletter, shared with all patients, that addresses relevant health news, common misconceptions, and sources on where to find the most up-to-date answers.
Don’t forget that the tone used when educating patients matters just as much as the tactics. Patients are already nervous to bring up health questions to their doctor. If misinformation is met with a condescending or overly corrective manner, they’re less likely to be open about what they’ve seen online moving forward.
For example, if a patient brings up something they read online about their condition, consider first asking to see the content, then discussing what is untrue based on what they show you. Approaching online information together, rather than outright denouncing it, makes care feel more like a partnership.
Delivering guidance with an emphatic tone (and ensuring all care staff do as well) is key to creating a safe space where your patients feel comfortable discussing their concerns.
Misinformation from online sources and AI is affecting practices everywhere, and every practitioner has their own way of addressing it.
Here’s what our Healthcasts community had to say about how they respond when patients address online and AI-generated health content in appointments:
“This is a frequent occurrence, most likely greater than 50% of the time. Instruction is given that while using this source for informational purposes is ok, using it to diagnose and treat is an inaccurate source of treatment.”
“Most of my patients have developed a comfort and rapport with me that they openly discuss findings like this with me from time to time. I actually encourage it, as it brings about healthy dialogue between us about their health. I take a keen interest in what is being shared, and will incorporate it in my differential diagnosis on occasion.”
“Dr. Google seems to be more of a problem yet in my world. I explain that all the pictures and words, most of the time, are to extremes that scare the patient…I applaud patients for looking and reading, BUT in the untrained professional, some of that information causes anxieties and unnecessary worry.”
Addressing online health content doesn’t have to cause friction—it can be a great opportunity for connection, education, and trust-building. In a world of constant information overload, proactive guidance and empathy play a key role in helping patients better understand how to navigate their own research.
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