The issue of misinformation became extremely prevalent during the Covid pandemic. A recent study from Northwestern University documents an attempt by medics to overcome the challenge.

The paper documents the creation of the verified Twitter handle @IMPACT4HC, which was created by the Illinois Medical Professional Action Collaborative Team, and aimed to provide accurate health and safety information about Covid on Twitter.

“The pandemic has been really taxing for health professionals,” the researchers say. “In addition to the emotional toll caring for these very sick patients, particularly in the early waves of the pandemic, the politicization around COVID-19 added another layer of stress for many of us. One thing we highlight in this paper is that these kinds of groups can be a safe space for health professionals to talk about issues like harassment on social media to keep the fight against misinformation going.”

Safe space

The group consists of a wide range of health professionals, including nurses, public health professionals, physicians, and scientists. The paper explains that these people have often endured a barrage of public harassment during the pandemic after attempting to share scientifically reliable medical information on both the virus and the vaccines.

The group also created a number of infographics on various issues, such as the benefits of social distancing and wearing masks in an attempt to provide digestible and accessible information to people who might not otherwise receive reliable health information.

“We know that COVID-19 has disproportionately affected the Latino population, and it’s been important to us to partner with community organizations like Illinois Unidos to ensure that we are also addressing misinformation with Spanish-language resources,” they explain.

Since the pandemic the group has also been attempting to tackle other issues too, such as the various health issues wrapped up in the Roe v. Wade decision and also information about firearm injuries.

Suffice to say, the group has a relatively small followership, so some doubt has to be cast on the scale of their reach, but it’s an interesting project nonetheless.