Health professionals can either correct the misinformation publicly or privately. They also have the choice to correct it via priming or via rebuttal. 

Health Professionals' Methods of Correcting Misinformation

Reflecting involves trying to understand why the user is posting misinformation. This allows them to address the misconception if the spread is unintentional, and craft a more compelling response. 

University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

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

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

Health Professionals' Steps for Preparing to Correct Misinformation: Reflect

In this step, health professionals find facts and support them with references. 

Health Professionals' Steps for Preparing to Correct Misinformation: Reveal

The relate step involves crafting a message using relatable phrasing. It is important to make their messages understandable, with little jargon. 

Health Professionals' Steps for Preparing to Correct Misinformation: Relate

When crafting corrective messaging, it is important for health professionals to be respectful and professional. Health professionals reported that they are careful to not be too aggressive or to shame the misinformation spreaders.  

Learn Before

Related

Learn After