Looking out for harmful misleading health information

Updated guidelines provide warning signs to spot unreliable and potentially dangerous medical reporting.

A newly updated guideline from the Patient Information Forum provides a helpful key to help readers spot false health information.

The PIF TICK false health information poster highlights different types of false health information, including:

• Misinformation – False or misleading information shared by someone because they believe it.
• Artificial intelligence (AI) – Answers to health questions generated by artificial intelligence (AI) can include misinformation and disinformation.
• Disinformation – False information spread to mislead you on purpose.

A statement from the Patient Information Forum said: “Help stop the spread of false information. Before you share something you’ve read, watched or listened to, ask yourself: is it reliable?”

When reviewing health information the following “warning signs” are shared to look out for:

“Miracle cure” or “wonder drug” – Claims like this are designed to catch your attention. However, they often lack evidence to back them up. If it sounds too good to be true it probably is.

Unreliable evidence – Be careful of information which does not include references or claims big results. Go to the source report and check any findings yourself.

Bias – Check if the information is balanced. If the information seems one sided think about why someone might have published it. For example, are they trying to sell you something?

“My friend said…” – Personal stories are great for knowing other people are going through the same thing as you. But remember, everybody responds to treatment in different ways. Just because someone has had a particular side effect or outcome does not mean you will.

View the PIF TICK false health information poster

As part of our PIF TICK accreditation process, DRWF is committed to making sure all its information is reliable, evidence-based and accessible, to ensure we are a “trusted information creator”.

Read DRWF diabetes information leaflets here

If you are a healthcare professional and would like to receive a supply of our information leaflets for distribution to people with diabetes please email enquiries@drwf.org.uk or call us on 023 9263 6136. Alternatively click here for a leaflet order form to bulk order leaflets.

Find out more about DRWF and the PIF TICK accreditation here