Disclosures

Did you receive any funding to support your research for this TOPIC?
No

Were you provided with any honoraria, payment or other compensation for your work on this study?
No

Do you have any financial relationship with any entity which may closely compete with the medications, materials or instruments covered by your study?
No

Do you own or have you applied for any patents in conjunction with the instruments, medications or materials discussed in your study?
No

This work was not supported by any direct or non direct funding. It is under the author's own responsability

Disclosures

Did you receive any funding to support your research for this TOPIC?
No

Were you provided with any honoraria, payment or other compensation for your work on this study?
No

Do you have any financial relationship with any entity which may closely compete with the medications, materials or instruments covered by your study?
No

Do you own or have you applied for any patents in conjunction with the instruments, medications or materials discussed in your study?
No

This work was not supported by any direct or non direct funding. It is under the author's own responsability

Objectives: Doctors are needed on social media where they can have a unique role in educating the public, promoting good practice and pushing back misinformation – this is what is called “non-promotional social media engagement”. Efforts need to be part of a holistic movement.

Introduction: Misinformation or fake news is a type of propaganda that consists of deliberate disinformation or hoaxes spread via traditional print and broadcast news media or online social media.

Materials / method: Daily market intelligence (lay press and professional sources) on the following domains: dermatology, skincare, aesthetics, innovation, access to care, misinformation, artificial intelligence and digital advances. All this being captured and shared on Twitter ( https://twitter.com/ducrest ) and LinkedIN (https://www.linkedin.com/in/dominique-du-crest-2982a/recent-activity/posts/ ).

Results: Although misinformation makes headlines today, it is actually nothing new and has been present for centuries. It has received fresh attention since Covid19, but all domains are subject to it. Healthcare is far from exempt and the situation today has even been referred to as “The Fake News Epidemic in Health”. On one hand it’s never been easier to get health information; on the other it’s never been so misleading. In this lecture we will be reviewing the ubiquity of misinformation, countermeasures and whether medicine is ready for it?

Conclusion: Doctors have decades of experience fighting misinformation. Evidence-based medicine and the Peer Review process are tools that help to debunk misinformation, but nowadays evidence alone is not enough. Doctors need to “get social” and beyond their own style how they should embrace “non-promotional social media engagement”.

Disclosures

Did you receive any funding to support your research for this TOPIC?
No

Were you provided with any honoraria, payment or other compensation for your work on this study?
No

Do you have any financial relationship with any entity which may closely compete with the medications, materials or instruments covered by your study?
No

Do you own or have you applied for any patents in conjunction with the instruments, medications or materials discussed in your study?
No

This work was not supported by any direct or non direct funding. It is under the author's own responsability