ROLE OF THE PHARMACY WORKFORCE TO COMBAT PUBLIC HEALTH DISINFORMATION AND MISINFORMATION

To affirm that disinformation and misinformation undermine public health and trust in health care professionals, increasing risk of potential harm and adverse patient outcomes; further,

To educate individuals on how to recognize and counter disinformation and misinformation; further,

To oppose and actively dispel the dissemination of disinformation and misinformation by members of the pharmacy workforce; further,

To collaborate with key partners to combat disinformation and misinformation.

Rationale

Public health disinformation and misinformation pose a growing threat to patient safety, population health, and trust in healthcare professionals. Disinformation is defined as false or misleading information that is deliberately created, presented, and disseminated with the intent to deceive, mislead, or cause harm. Misinformation is defined as inaccurate or false information shared without intent to deceive, often due to misunderstanding, incomplete information, or rapidly evolving science. In the public health context, disinformation often aims to undermine evidence-based guidance, erode trust in health institutions or professionals, or influence health behaviors in ways that increase risk to individuals or communities. 

A longstanding area of concern related to disinformation and misinformation is with vaccines and vaccine preventable diseases. Maintaining public trust in vaccine evidence-based recommendations is essential to protecting patient and public health, and that trust depends on transparent, rigorous processes grounded in scientific evidence. The pharmacy workforce needs to remain steadfast in their commitment to science-driven decision making related to vaccines and patient education in order to support shared clinical decision making. 

Clinical decisions often require nuance, and pharmacists may reasonably differ in how they interpret evolving evidence, weigh risks and benefits, or apply guidelines to individual patients. Differences in evidence-informed professional opinions, including vaccine recommendations based on patient factors or emerging data, are not the same as misinformation. Good faith interpretation of available evidence, even when it does not fully align with a guideline, is an essential part of professional practice. Efforts to address disinformation must distinguish intentional or reckless spread of falsehoods from legitimate clinical judgment that reflects the complexity of real-world care. 

ASHP, state affiliates, and its members have a professional duty to recognize and combat disinformation and misinformation with their constituencies and in their communities. It is imperative that the pharmacy workforce serve as a source of truth for scientific and evidence-based information. Many leading health professional organizations, including the American Medical Association and the American Nurses Association, have advanced policy statements that outline key elements for addressing disinformation and misinformation such as conveying clear definitions, reinforcing professional responsibility, providing trusted education and communication, creating accountability, and collaborating with other partners with similar goals and policy positions. ASHP should align and collaborate with peer pharmacy and medical organizations to reinforce shared principles and support critical public health initiatives that uphold scientific integrity and patient safety.