Social Media as a Tool to Directly Address Misinformation in Health Care and Promote Patient Education

Abstract

Social media plays an important role in the lives of many, including cancer patients. A majority of cancer patients rated the internet as their most important source of information, and many joined social media as a result of their diagnosis. Most online platforms health care information has not been vetted by healthcare professionals. Although readily available and easy to access, the questionable accuracy of this information poses risks for patients. We aim to assess the feasibility of an online platform led by health care professionals to engage cancer patients on social media to directly address misinformation through targeted patient education. We hypothesized that social media-based cancer information will be a well utilized tool that cancer patients could engage with for information and support regarding their diagnosis. A social media-based campaign called Cancer Real Talk was initiated on Instagram and TikTok, and a corresponding website for the campaign was launched. Topics were identified based on anecdotal experience with patient misconceptions of care and included the role of palliative care, relationship between cancer and sugar, clinical trials, patient radioactivity, cancer screenings, risks associated with excess vitamin intake, and surgery for lung cancer. Video reels were reviewed by two physicians and published with corresponding text on the two social media platforms with the goal of providing factual and relatable information. Metrics including views and "likes" were gathered based on available data on each platform at 1 day, 1 week, 1 month, and long-term (>3 months) data points. Between July 2022 and January 2023, a total of seven posts were disseminated through both platforms. Views and likes TikTok and Instagram, respectively, are located in Table 1 with Instagram data bolded. At the last check, the Instagram and TikTok accounts had 272 and 231 followers, respectively. Our posts confirmed engagement with social media users and this educational initiative. Variable engagement highlights the need for increased understanding of how and where to engage with patients on social media. Health care outreach and education has the potential to help patients address misinformation and better navigate their cancer care, which is often quite daunting and complex. Future directions include patient collaboration.