Fake news does not reflect a contrast of the realistic information, but it manipulates the available information to suit a personal ambition. People create fake news because of selfish desires to benefit themselves through social media. Ironically, from the article, vaccines meant to reduce mortality are causing more deaths than a combination of the world’s top dangerous animals (Samuelson, 2016). After reading the article by Samuelson (2016), I felt sad, as some people are trying to taint vaccination programs meant to protect them from viral diseases. The information in the article is fake, and it misleads people into making the wrong decisions. From the YouTube video “Fake News Explained,” I believe it is up to individuals to differentiate between real and fake news; otherwise, some information can be disastrous. According to Explainitychannel (2018), some people spread fake news just for money or political influence. To prove the accuracy of information, a person should check it using credible sources.
The proliferation of false, inappropriate, and deliberately misunderstanding health news has impacted nursing care provision. Patients who receive false information, which sometimes contradicts the science of medicine, even tend to oppose the doctor’s medical prescription choosing to follow the treatment plan they receive online. Therefore, it becomes challenging for a nurse to administer the medications. A patient can take the drugs recommended on media platforms ending up compromising their health further (Sommariva et al., 2018). The information that vaccines have been found to result in more deaths causes ethical and professional nurse practice disturbance. The nurse’s role is administering the vaccine, yet the idea that it is fatal sets them into a professional dilemma.
The medical fraternity has faced dire consequences in care provision due to hoax stories shared through various media. Vaccination programs are the most affected as their credibility is always questioned even though each vaccine undergoes approval before being used (Teoh, 2019). The efforts to combat some diseases are being delayed due to the fake information shared, making people resistant to the medical findings. For medical care protection, people should all arise and campaign against fake news to combat the effects of fake news on health and save medical personnel’s efforts.
References
Explainitychannel. (2018). Fake news explained [Video]. YouTube.
Samuelson, D. (2016). Vaccines kill more people than sharks, alligators, bears snakes and spiders combined. Vaccines News.
Sommariva, S., Vamos, C., Mantzarlis, A., Đào, L. U. L., & Martinez Tyson, D. (2018). Spreading the (fake) news: Exploring health messages on social media and the implications for health professionals using a case study. American Journal of Health Education, 49(4), 246-255.
Teoh, D. (2019). The power of social media for HPV vaccination–not fake news! American Society of Clinical Oncology Educational Book, 39, 75-78.