Effective Countermeasures to Health Misinformation and Disinformation for Global Health Engagement Practitioners: A Rapid Review

INTRODUCTION: Awareness and education about the risks posed by health misinformation and disinformation (mis/dis) to the U.S. Department of Defense’s (DoD) health-related activities are currently insufficient, highlighting the need for effective counterstrategies. This issue became particularly evident during the COVID-19 pandemic, affecting U.S. DoD Global Health Engagement (GHE) activities. It is also increasingly significant as Combatant Commands expand their DoD GHE and Global Health Security activities to align with strategic priorities.
MATERIALS AND METHODS: To address this gap, the Center for Global Health Engagement at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences conducted a rapid systematic review of literature on countering health mis/dis. The review examined English-language papers indexed in PubMed, Web of Science, and Embase from 2013 to 2023.
RESULTS: The rapid review revealed that while much of the literature on health mis/dis focuses on major institutional actors, there is a growing body of research on countermeasures designed for individuals. The most frequently studied strategy was debunking, which involves directly correcting false or misleading information. Other effective, though context-specific, strategies highlighted included prebunking, fact-checking, and health literacy training. Additionally, the review found that most existing studies focused on COVID-19, followed by childhood vaccines and vaccine hesitancy.
CONCLUSION: Debunking, prebunking, and health literacy strategies were identified as effective tools for addressing health-related mis/dis in the context of DoD GHE. Global Health Engagement practitioners and planners should be aware of these techniques and integrate them into their engagements and activities. However, there is no one-size-fits-all solution; the effectiveness of countering mis/dis depends heavily on the context in which the information is propagated. Further research is needed to develop educational materials on mis/dis countermeasures and to improve communication about the threats posed by health mis/dis within the GHE landscape.