UK doctors are sounding the alarm over the spread of misinformation on social media, with many warning that the influence of wellness influencers can have serious consequences for patients.
According to a recent article by Australian oncologist Ranjana Srivastava, cancer specialists are increasingly seeing the harm caused by social media, with patients making uninformed decisions about their treatment based on unverified health claims.
Srivastava cites an example of a patient who had stopped eating red meat after reading a social media post, despite being anaemic and requiring regular blood transfusions.
Experts are concerned that social media platforms are failing to regulate the spread of misinformation, allowing influencers to peddle unsubstantiated health claims to millions of followers.
The NHS has guidelines and recommendations in place to help patients make informed decisions about their treatment, but experts warn that these are often ignored in favour of social media advice.
In 2020, a study by the UK's National Health Service (NHS) found that 1 in 5 patients reported making changes to their treatment or lifestyle based on information they had read online.
The NHS recommends that patients consult their GP or NHS 111 before making any changes to their treatment or lifestyle, but experts warn that this message is not getting through to many patients.