‘Misleading’ posts about medical tests could lead to overdiagnosis, unnecessary treatment, and impact patients’ mental health, researchers said.
Influencers’ posts about medical tests tend to be “misleading,” a new study has found, highlighting that this could lead to a risk of overdiagnosis of medical issues.
Researchers investigated over 900 posts on Instagram and TikTok about controversial medical tests and focused on users with over 1,000 followers.
Over eight posts out of ten used what the researchers called a “promotional” tone while only six per cent explicitly mentioned evidence about the tests.
“The vast majority of these posts were overwhelmingly misleading,” Dr Brooke Nickel, a research fellow at the University of Sydney who led the study, said in a statement.
“They are being promoted under the guise of early screening, as a way to take control of your own health. The problem is they are unnecessary for most people and, in some cases, the science backing their efficacy is shaky,” she added.
Researchers looked at posts about five medical tests including full-body magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), genetic testing claiming to identify early signs of 50 cancers, and tests for the gut, testosterone levels, and a woman’s egg count.
One of the side effects of conducting these tests without medical need is the risk of overdiagnosis, which happens when “generally healthy people are diagnosed or labeled with a condition or disease that would never cause them harm,” the study authors said.
The risk of overdiagnosis or overuse was only mentioned in six per cent of the social media posts, while more than half of them encouraged viewers to take action and get the test.
Related
Celebrities are turning to MRI scans to help predict future illnesses. Should the rest of us?
“These findings suggest social media is an open sewer of medical misinformation,” said Dr Ray Moynihan, an assistant professor at Bond University in Australia and one of the study’s authors.
“This is a public health crisis that exacerbates overdiagnosis and threatens the sustainability of health systems,” he added.
Undeclared financial interests
Among the influencers, 68 per cent had financial interests such as a discount code or a paid partnership.
Doctors: This Is the Best Method to Burn Belly Fat After 50!
Doctors: This Is the Best Method to Burn Belly Fat After 50!
Ad by News – Health
“One of the underlying themes being used by influencers promoting these tests is that knowledge is power, but most information is cherry picked. When it comes to health, getting the full picture is so important, and half-truths are often lies,” Nickel said, adding there was a risk of patients receiving unnecessary medical treatments.
Notably, however, posts from physicians, which represented around 15 per cent of the total, were less likely to have a promotional tone and more likely to mention potential harms.
Researchers said the results suggest there is an urgent need for stronger regulation to prevent misleading medical information on social media platforms.