Confronting the misinformation pandemic

Abstract

• Vaccine hesitancy is increasing in the US and worldwide, and medical misinformation is a significant contributor to this declining acceptance of vaccines. • False information spreads faster than true information, and the pandemic has increased the degree to which individuals consume information online, where misinformation is more likely to appear, creating a vicious cycle. • We offer recommendations for a collaborative framework between medical and scientific organizations and technology and social media companies to collectively address medical misinformation and directly combat vaccine hesitancy. • Medical misinformation will always exist, but we offer an innovative and unique approach to confronting this misinformation.