False health narratives can erode trust, endanger lives and undermine medical progress

Misinformation in healthcare has real-world consequences. From vaccine hesitancy to the promotion of unproven treatments, false health narratives can erode trust, endanger lives and undermine medical progress.

For those of us working in pharmaceutical communications, the challenge is clear: where public trust in pharma is mixed, how can we have an impact?

Misinformation in healthcare spreads rapidly, driven by several factors:

• The digital landscape: social media platforms and AI have accelerated the spread of misinformation far beyond traditional media reach
• A deficit of trust: many people turn away from institutions, including pharmaceutical companies, and also healthcare systems and governments, in favour of alternative sources of health information
• Emotional appeal: misinformation often spreads because it taps into fear, hope or scepticism, making it more engaging than factual content
• Health literacy: a 2023 report from Public Health England demonstrated that 42% of working age adults struggle to understand everyday health information; if numeracy skills are involved, this increases to 61%. Misinformation is easier to understand for many people.

Tackling misinformation isn’t just about correcting falsehoods, it’s about proactively building trust and ensuring the right information is accessible, engaging and relatable.  The challenge for those working in pharma is that many people don’t instinctively trust pharmaceutical companies as a source of health information. We can’t push out facts and expect them to be understood and believed. That doesn’t mean pharma should step back. We have the information, expertise and resources to make a difference, so we must rethink how and where we communicate.

The foundation of all aspects of communication is building trust through transparency.  This involves acknowledging uncertainties where they exist, being clear about limitations, risks and benefits, and engaging with HCPs, scientists and patient advocates who are trusted voices in health discussions. Building relationships – rather than broadcasting messages – is what differentiates communicators from other marketing disciplines.

Investing time to develop materials that gain accreditation for being evidence-based and accessible helps with credibility. One such quality mark is PIF TICK from the Patient Information Forum. To achieve the PIF TICK, an organisation must meet ten criteria.

AstraZeneca is one organisation that has adopted these principles. Emily Burns, Patient Advocacy Lead, explains: “One in six people in the UK have very low literacy skills, while half of the UK population have numeracy levels at or below primary school. One million people in the UK cannot follow a letter from a GP surgery or hospital department.  These statistics from the Patient Information Forum highlight the widespread challenges of low health literacy. The impact of health literacy on long-term health outcomes, patient experience and health equity should not be underestimated.

“Many people are excluded from critical health information due to factors such as digital access, age, socioeconomic status and language barriers. Our goal is to ensure that everyone can easily access appropriate health information tailored to their needs. This involves assessing readability, seeking input from people who will use the information, removing medical jargon and building dissemination plans to reach those in need. In other words, it takes time. But we believe that time is well spent. That’s why we are immensely proud to have been awarded the PIF TICK.”

There is a real opportunity for improvement in the type of content that pharma provides. Accessible information, that applies principles of plain language, is still not the standard. Asking people with a health condition to contribute to these materials provides insights that are not available to us from the comfort of our homogeneous view of the world.

We must also fully understand the misinformation that is being spread – where our stakeholders are searching for information is critical. Proactively monitoring misinformation trends across digital platforms and identifying what our audiences are engaging with and on what channels (on and offline) enables us to create a plan to engage where they are looking.

We can and should use our expertise and resources to tackle misinformation. Misinformation isn’t going away, but our ability to counter it effectively will play a role in whether the industry succeeds in its mission to positively impact health inequity.