Health information disorders types and origins in health communication: A qualitative study

Health information disorders (HIDs) are becoming increasingly prevalent and can have detrimental effects on individuals and society. This study aimed to identify the types and origins of HIDs through a qualitative content analysis of interviews.

This study was conducted with a qualitative method through contractual content analysis. The 26 participants were health professionals, medical librarians and information specialists, patients, and media members in the field of health. The accuracy and robustness of the data were ensured by the triangulation technique using multiple sources and methods in data extraction, interviews with different groups, reminders, and domains.

For HIDs types, four main categories and 12 subcategories emerged: sender (includes public, patients, specialists, and media professionals); message or content (includes misinformation, disinformation, malinformation, pseudo-information); channel (type of media and information dissemination); and receiver (includes literacy, communicative language, reading comprehension). The origins of HIDs have emerged into four main categories and 12 subcategories: sender (includes purpose and motivation, educational issues, psychological issues); message or content (includes content validity, content type); channel (includes media, access issues, type and manner of information dissemination); and receiver (includes educational issues, psychological issues, personal issues, social issues).

It seems for a clear health communication process without any information disorder, it is necessary for the situation of each component of this process to include the sender, the content, the channel, and the receiver is properly considered and executed to ensure the accurate and intended transfer of health information.