Based on interviews, health professionals go through four steps when preparing to correct misinformation online. These steps are: 
- Reflect
- Reveal
- Relate
- Respect

How Healthcare Professionals Prepare to Correct Misinformation

Examining the author allows health professionals to assess their credibility. They can do this by performing a background check, and looking at previous posts. 

University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

If internal authentication does not provide enough information to determine the veracity of the claim, health professionals turn to external cues for authenticating the claim. This method involves using external sources rather than one's own knowledge. These include examining the author and examining the content. 

External acts of authentication

Bautista, J. R., Zhang, Y., & Gwizdka, J. (2021). Healthcare professionals’ acts of correcting health misinformation on social media. International Journal of Medical Informatics, 148(104375). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijmedinf.2021.104375

Healthcare professionals’ acts of correcting health misinformation on social media

External acts of authentication: examining the author

In examining the content, the health professionals are able to see if the claim in the post is consistent with the existing literature. They compare the claim to known, reputable sources to determine if it is misinformation. 

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