Mis–Dis Information in COVID-19 Health Crisis: A Narrative Review

Vicente Javier Clemente-Suárez, Eduardo Navarro-Jiménez, Juan Antonio Simón-Sanjurjo, Ana Isabel Beltran-Velasco, Carmen Cecilia Laborde-Cárdenas, Juan Camilo Benitez-Agudelo, Álvaro Bustamante-Sánchez and José Francisco Tornero-Aguilera
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Vicente Javier Clemente-Suárez: Faculty of Sports Sciences, Universidad Europea de Madrid, Tajo Street, s/n, 28670 Madrid, Spain
Eduardo Navarro-Jiménez: Grupo de Investigacion en Microbiologia y Biotecnologia (IMB), Universidad Libre, Barranquilla 080002, Colombia
Juan Antonio Simón-Sanjurjo: Faculty of Sports Sciences, Universidad Europea de Madrid, Tajo Street, s/n, 28670 Madrid, Spain
Ana Isabel Beltran-Velasco: Psychology Department, Universidad Antonio de Nebrija, 28240 Madrid, Spain
Carmen Cecilia Laborde-Cárdenas: Vicerrectoría de Investigación e Innovación, Universidad Simón Bolívar, Barranquilla 080005, Colombia
Juan Camilo Benitez-Agudelo: Facultad de Ciencias Sociales y Humanas, Universidad de la Costa, Barranquilla 080002, Colombia
Álvaro Bustamante-Sánchez: Faculty of Sports Sciences, Universidad Europea de Madrid, Tajo Street, s/n, 28670 Madrid, Spain
José Francisco Tornero-Aguilera: Faculty of Sports Sciences, Universidad Europea de Madrid, Tajo Street, s/n, 28670 Madrid, Spain

IJERPH, 2022, vol. 19, issue 9, 1-24

Abstract: Background: In this narrative review, we address the COVID-19 pandemic mis–dis information crisis in which healthcare systems have been pushed to their limits, with collapses occurring worldwide. The context of uncertainty has resulted in skepticism, confusion, and general malaise among the population. Informing the public has been one of the major challenges during this pandemic. Misinformation is defined as false information shared by people who have no intention of misleading others. Disinformation is defined as false information deliberately created and disseminated with malicious intentions. Objective: To reach a consensus and critical review about mis–dis information in COVID-19 crisis. Methods: A database search was conducted in PsychINFO, MedLine (Pubmed), Cochrane (Wiley), Embase and CinAhl. Databases used the MeSH-compliant keywords of COVID-19, 2019-nCoV, Coronavirus 2019, SARS-CoV-2, misinformation, disinformation, information, vaccines, vaccination, origin, target, spread, communication. Results: Both misinformation and disinformation can affect the population’s confidence in vaccines (development, safety, and efficacy of vaccines, as well as denial of the severity of SARS-CoV infection). Institutions should take into account that a great part of the success of the intervention to combat a pandemic has a relationship with the power to stop the misinformation and disinformation processes. The response should be well-structured and addressed from different key points: central level and community level, with official and centralized communication channels. The approach should be multifactorial and enhanced by the collaboration of social media companies to stop misleading information, and trustworthy people both working or not working in the health care systems to boost the power of the message. Conclusions: The response should be well-structured and addressed from different key points: central level and community level, with official and clearly centralized communication channels. The approach should be multifactorial and enhanced from the collaboration of social media companies to stop misleading information, and trustworthy people both working and not working in the health care systems to boost the power of a message based on scientific evidence.

Keywords: misinformation; disinformation; COVID-19; pandemic; health crisis; social media (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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