Title : Misinformation: Recognition and response in pre-licensure nursing education
Abstract:
Background Information/Introduction: Patients today, riddled with multiple comorbidities and presenting with complex care needs, have a plethora of healthcare information at their fingertips. The internet and social media applications are replete with medical advice, information, and opinion. Yet this “infodemic” presents challenges for the healthcare community, as much of this readily-accessible health information is misinformation. Misinformation in healthcare is information that is contrary to that which is commonly accepted by the scientific and healthcare communities, and is often marked by flaws in reasoning and fallacies. As new nurses graduate, they must be armed with the knowledge, skills, and attitudes to enter professional practice. This includes being able to recognize misinformation, understand its importance and impact on patient health and care, and appropriately addressing the misinformation with the patient. In the area, nursing education is falling short, with few curricula addressing misinformation. As such, learning activities in pre-licensure nursing programs need to include preparation for both recognition and response to healthcare misinformation. Purpose & Significance: The purpose of this study is to evaluate the impact of an aesthetic teaching learning activity on the student nurse’s ability to recognize and respond to healthcare misinformation presented through the internet and varied media/social media platforms. Methods & Recommendations: 14 prelicensure students from an OB/Peds course were recruited to participate in a descriptive qualitative pilot study that involved having student nurses either watch a TV/movie birth scene or listen to a birth-related podcast, both options containing misinformation and inaccuracies. The student’s ability to recognize and respond to this healthcare misinformation was evaluated via reflective journaling using portions of Tanner’s Clinical Judgment Model. Results: Evidence of components of clinical judgment were noted as follows: noticing was evident in 14/14 journals; interpreting was evident in 11/14 journals; and responding was evident in 8/14 journals. Further analysis of journals yielded themes: media and social media presentation of healthcare misinformation has potential to impact care that people seek; students recognize responsibility of the nurse to respond to misinformation; most are able to recognize misinformation but many do not know how to respond to it. Conclusions/Implications for Practice: Exposure to misinformation and how to approach it is crucial in prelicensure education in order to prepare new nurses for the realities of professional practice. Further activities incorporating misinformation education are needed.
