Fighting the Viral Spread of Medical Misinformation: Empowering Patients through Health Literacy

ECRI has just released its Top 10 Patient Safety Concerns 2025, which highlights the most urgent patient safety challenges currently facing the healthcare industry. This report is informed by a combination of evidence-based research, data, and expert insight from both ECRI and the Institute for Safe Medication Practices. Beyond simply identifying these concerns, we also offer guidance and resources to help organizations tackle them, promoting a total systems safety approach to enhance overall patient safety.

#3 Patient Safety Concern: The Viral Spread of Medical Misinformation: Empowering Patients through Health Literacy

The rapid spread of medical misinformation on social media is a growing concern in healthcare. False health claims are shared six times faster than the truth, leading patients to request ineffective or dangerous treatments, or even avoid proven therapies. For instance, social media platforms like Facebook and TikTok have promoted harmful remedies, such as chlorine dioxide for autism or dangerous "parasite cleanses."

To combat this issue, health literacy is key. Personal health literacy empowers individuals to find, understand, and use reliable information to make informed health decisions. Healthcare organizations play a critical role by fostering health literacy and guiding patients to credible sources.

By building stronger relationships with patients, addressing misinformation respectfully, and equipping them with tools to evaluate health content, healthcare providers can improve patient decision-making and outcomes. For actionable recommendations to address these concerns, read this year's full report.

The Full List of Patient Safety Concerns

Here's the full list of topics included in ECRI's Top 10 Patient Safety Concerns 2025:

1. Risks of Dismissing Patient, Family, and Caregiver Concerns
2. Insufficient Governance of Artificial Intelligence in Healthcare
3. The Wide Availability and Viral Spread of Medical Misinformation: Empowering Patients through Health Literacy
4. Medical Errors and Delays in Care Resulting from Cybersecurity Breaches
5. Unique Healthcare Challenges in Caring for Veterans
6. The Growing Threat of Substandard and Falsified Drugs
7. Diagnostic Error: The Big Three—Cancers, Major Vascular Events, and Infections
8. Persistence of Healthcare-Associated Infections in Long-term Care Facilities
9. Inadequate Communication and Coordination during Discharge
10. Deteriorating Community Pharmacy Working Conditions Contribute to Medication Errors and Compromise Patient and Staff Safety

Download ECRI's full report: Top 10 Patient Safety Concerns 2025.