When Misinformation Becomes a Clinical Risk for Emergency Nurses

During disasters, social media serves as both a critical communication channel and a source of misinformation that can complicate emergency response. Although platforms allow rapid sharing of evacuation orders, shelter locations, and health guidance, they also enable false or misleading information to spread just as quickly. For emergency nurses, this misinformation has real clinical consequences. Patients may delay seeking care, refuse evidence-based treatments, arrive fearful or distrustful, or challenge clinical recommendations based on what they have seen online. These behaviors disrupt workflow, prolong triage, and increase conflict in already strained emergency departments. This article examines misinformation commonly encountered during disasters including false claims about treatment safety, evacuation guidance, hospital operations, and resource availability and outlines practical strategies emergency nurses can use to reduce harm, strengthen communication, and protect patient safety.