So much evidence, so little time: Navigating misinformation and becoming an academic sleuth in the social media age

Monday, May 1, 2023

8:00 AM – 9:30 AM ET

Location: Convention Center: 203 AB

CE: Live CME: 1.50

Selected By: PCLT
Co-sponsored By: ISCHE

Chair(s)

Rasheda Vereen, MD, MBS (she/her/hers)

Assistant Professor of Pediatrics; Staff Neonatologist
Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences F. Edward Hebert School of Medicine
Fort Cavazos, Texas, United States

Disclosure(s):

Rasheda J. Vereen, rjvereen@gmail.com: No financial relationships to disclose

Session

Description: In an age with numerous social media platforms where both families and clinicians are more reliant on the internet for information—finding, sharing, understanding, and analyzing the literature is more difficult than ever. Navigating social media has become increasingly difficult with concerns of misinformation and the growing number of methods of dissemination. There are ever-growing challenges to practicing medicine in the age of social media. Does social media create a practice environment consumed by misinformation or does it provide independent access to the latest best information? How do you navigate the discussion when a family brings you a novel management strategy that they found on social media? How do you identify misinformation—is it just misinterpretation of the evidence or could it be from unreliable sources?

This interactive session will bring together a group of experts with diverse experiences in using social media. We will highlight the benefits and risks in using social media to stay up to date on and pediatric evidence, while giving participants the tools and skills to critically appraise literature. We will discuss the evolution of the impact of social media on medical education and research and further examine publication ethics and the role of social media in identifying research errors and misconduct. The presentation will conclude with examining the responsibility of the academic community in building a culture of trust and research integrity as well as tips for how clinicians can best utilize social media.

Learning Objectives:

Describe the benefits and risks of using social media to stay up to date with the pediatric literature
Develop skills to identify misinformation disseminated through social media using critical appraisal tools, and build a stronger culture of research integrity
Discuss social media best use practices and collaborative partnering with families in information sharing

Presentations:

8:00 AM – 8:15 AM ET

Social media is a reality: the current impact on practicing medicine
Speaker: Rasheda Vereen, MD, MBS – Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences F. Edward Hebert School of Medicine
8:15 AM – 8:35 AM ET

The algorithm: how social media impacts the ability to find research
Speaker: Atul Malhotra, MD, PhD – Monash University
8:35 AM – 8:50 AM ET

Trustworthiness and misinformation: how social media impacts clinical practice
Speaker: Kanekal Gautham, MD,DM,MS (he/him/his) – Nemours Children's Hospital
8:50 AM – 9:05 AM ET

Building a community of trust and research integrity
Speaker: Brian King, MD – University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine
9:05 AM – 9:20 AM ET

Applying Social Media to Practice
Speaker: Souvik Mitra, MD, MSc, PhD, FRCPC (he/him/his) – Dalhousie University & IWK Health