Pharmaceutical Market Europe • December 2025 • 32
THOUGHT LEADER
Clicks vs credibility:
how social media underscores patient understanding
‘HCPs are increasingly expected to help mitigate the impact of misinformation on social media’
By Jordan Brand
Long gone are the early days of social media. Once a place for selfies, memes and fleeting trends, social media has evolved into one of our most powerful learning and communication tools.
It’s a place to share, search and self-educate, which can be both fundamental and detrimental to patient understanding, both of their own conditions and their perceptions of others.
A recent study found 38% of young adults aged 18 to 34 say they would trust social media over a real physician1, which is not only surprising but concerning. On TikTok alone, the hashtag #medicaladvice has amassed nearly 42,000 videos, creating an endless stream of information – some accurate, some misleading.
With endless content and limited oversight, the question becomes: who’s guiding the conversations, the experts or the algorithms?
Healthcare professionals as digital influencers
Healthcare professionals (HCPs) have fast become some of the most trusted and engaging voices online. Figures like Dr Karan Rajan, whose myth-busting medical explainers reach millions, or Dr Emeka Okorocha, who uses relatable storytelling to normalise conversations around men’s health and well-being, have shown how powerful this content can be. By stepping into the digital space, HCPs are humanising healthcare and demystifying medicine, offering credible, trusting and compassionate voices.
When influence outpaces expertise
However, the rise of health content on social media has also fuelled the parallel problem of misinformation. While many HCPs are working to educate and empower, countless influencers without medical credentials are offering advice that can be misleading.
Currently in the UK, there are several pieces of legislation, alongside regulatory bodies, that prohibit individuals from falsely claiming to be HCPs. Yet there is no law preventing or regulating anyone from giving out medical advice on social media. This regulatory gap leaves patients vulnerable, especially when influencer content is polished, persuasive, and widely shared.
From unproven supplements to dangerous quick fixes, conspiracy theories to outright lies, the consequences extend beyond individual health decisions. Once someone searches or watches a single piece of content, the algorithm quickly reinforces it, pushing people further into narrow patterns of thinking. This influence is not limited to healthcare – it can just as easily shape political views or social attitudes, creating echo chambers that quietly steer behaviour and belief.
Misinformation risks eroding trust in legitimate medical guidance, fuelling scepticism towards evidence-based treatments, and even contributing public health crises. Take, for example, weight-loss medications, where viral commentary on dosage, absent mentions of side-effects and celebrity brand representation are outpacing truths2.
Clicks vs credibility
But why would people spread this misinformation?
There is a constellation of interrelated factors, starting with social media algorithms. They prioritise engagement to retain users, so making a novel, sensational claim is likely to give the platform exactly what it wants. This, mixed with a financial incentive for those behind the camera, creates a perfect storm with content taken at face-value – as long as it gets those clicks.
It is also worth acknowledging that many people who create or share ‘misleading’ content do so with a sense of genuine belief. Perhaps often being misinformed themselves, or responding to confirmation and truth biases that arise in an environment where it is increasingly difficult to discern what’s accurate and what’s not.
Of course, this creates an added burden for HCPs, who are already stretched, as they are increasingly expected to help mitigate the impact of misinformation alongside clinical responsibilities.
Championing credible digital voices
In the end, empowering patients means meeting them where they already are. Social media’s influence on health behaviour isn’t akin to a selfie or passing trend, but a defining feature of modern communication.
The pharma industry must play its part in promoting responsible, registered HCP influencers. At JPA Health, we see this as a shared mission and are committed to helping the industry champion credible voices, strengthen verification and ensure patients can rely on the information that shapes health decisions.
Jordan Brand is Senior Account Director, Digital & Social Lead at JPA Health