"Misinformation" is false or inaccurate information that is typically intended to deliberately deceive. Anyone can be vulnerable to believing misinformation because it is designed to use our brains against us. Here's how:
The second component of health literacy is processing and using information in various formats in relation to health and health care. This step is meant to involve communication with a health professional. This relationship is critical for two reasons: as a patient, you probably don't have access to research about your topic - but even if you do have access, most people don't know what to look for or how to interpret what they've found.
Let's use an everyday example. You've read a magazine article about açaí berries and their potential benefits; everything from improving memory to decreasing the risk of cancer. The next time you go for a primary care visit, you ask the physician assistant about açaí berry powder that you've added to your cereal each morning. They may or may not be familiar with the topic, but they tell you general information: most dietary supplements are harmless in moderation as long as you don't experience allergic reactions or unexpected changes in your weight, sleep, or mood. You continue using the powder for a while, maybe you see effects, maybe not. But, the next time you're interested in a new supplement, or if you have a bad reaction, you will know what to do.
Often, when searching for health information online, it is because we are noticing symptoms and seeking treatment. This elevates the need for reliable information, but it also makes us vulnerable to misinformation. This is another reason to involve a health professional for any symptoms or conditions that are impacting your quality of life over a sustained period of time.
Should you take an over-the-counter pain relief pill, make an appointment with your doctor, or go to the emergency room? When we notice symptoms of poor health, many people shift into decision-making mode. Searching for Health: The Smart Way to Find Information Online and Put It to Use (2021) promotes a 3-step process they term "Clinical Reasoning" for deciding what your next steps should be. Keep in mind, no advice for online searches should replace the advice of your doctor.
The most unreliable symptom tracker is your memory. Using the provided sample documents to track your symptoms will help you get more reliable information and communicate it to your health professional.
Hypothesis generation is the process of taking your symptoms and finding all possible causes. Often, when searching for anything, we stop when we get our answer. However, with medicine, there are many possible answers that should be considered. This is a skill health professionals develop to prevent cognitive bias - a natural instinct to make our evidence fit our conclusions before we have all the data. Start making a list as you search and include everything.
Use the skills described in the "Evaluating Resources" section of the "Increasing Knowledge" page of this guide to assess what you find.
Taking the data you have collected from your personal medical history and your potential hypotheses, rank the probability of each. Sort them into "Very Likely," "Somewhat Likely," and "Unlikely." Consider the following three suggestions from Searching for Health.
Communicating your concerns to a health professional is also critical to the next step of this process: treatment. There are a number of challenges to this step in the United States. The US medical industry, which is run by administrators to turn the largest possible profit for shareholders, creates a system where, on average, general practitioners are given 15 minutes for each patient. Fortunately, they are trained in the Critical Reasoning skills mentioned above, but there are actions you can take to leverage these 15 minutes to get the help you need.
Your hard work is paying off! Bring the OPQRST assessment, review of systems, and personal medical history with you. If they send any pre-appointment paperwork, use their forms instead of the samples from this guide. The physician may be required to take your medical history themselves, bringing the information with you will make this process more efficient.
It may feel redundant to repeat your symptoms and history to numerous health professionals, but consider the steps of Clinical Reasoning above. Your physician has mastered these skills, but they probably have their own ways of making the process work for themselves. It is a complicated process, after all. If they want a second opinion, you may have to repeat yourself again. Having the paperwork to depend on will keep you consistent and accurate.
Many important business meetings require an agenda, what's more important than the business of your health? Your physician will have an agenda of their own: they want to assess, diagnose, and treat you effectively and efficiently. Sometimes, this leads to feeling that you haven't been heard and that your questions haven't been answered. Writing down an agenda before your visit will keep you on task and ensure that all of your concerns are addressed.
This does not have to be complicated, it can be a bullet list of words, but having it with you gives you a reference - and it's something you can share with your physician so they will have a better understanding of your needs.
If your agenda is long, or you feel that you need more than 15 minutes (on average), you can ask to book an extended appointment or even two back-to-back appointments. If your insurance won't cover that, or the provider has a problem scheduling, you can schedule a second appointment later in the week to discuss anything that wasn't covered in the first. Ask if there are times of day, or days of the week, when the schedule would be more flexible. When you ask for considerations like these, the worst they can say is "no."
During your appointment, take notes of what the physician is saying. This naturally slows down the conversation and ensures that you understand the context of this important conversation. Note if you have questions, circle things that you want to search later, use this time to gather the technical information needed to improve your searching for these topics.