Strategies for tackling fake news in healthcare: a complex approach from a nursing perspective

Abstract

Objective To unveil strategies for tackling fake news in the context of health and nursing from nursing professionals’ perspective. Method: This qualitative research, whose theoretical and methodological frameworks were, respectively, Complexity Theory and Grounded Theory, involved 25 nursing professionals from a public hospital and a Family Clinic in the city of Rio de Janeiro. Semi-structured interviews were conducted between 2021 and 2023. Results: The meanings revealed by nursing professionals considered the complexity of tackling fake news, highlighting that the dissemination of this information occurs through multiple channels and is embedded in social, political, and technological dynamics. The results indicated the importance of developing institutional fact-checking mechanisms and promoting educational campaigns as strategies to minimize the impacts of fake news on healthcare. Conclusion: The study’s complex perspective indicates that tackling fake news in health and nursing requires multidimensional approaches that combine education, regulation, and the valuing of science in the construction of reliable knowledge.