Document Type : Letter to Editor

Authors

• Peyman Adibi ¹
• Firoozeh Zare-Farashbandi ²
• Mohammadreza Hashemian ³

¹ Professor, Gastroenterology, Integrative Functional Gastroenterology Research Center, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran

² Associate Professor, Health Information Technology Research Center, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran.

³ Assistant Professor, Department of Medical Librarianship and Information Sciences, School of Allied Medical Sciences, Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences, Ahvaz, Iran

Abstract

Reliable information plays an important role in the health system. Nevertheless, sometimes the society is faced with distortion of facts, manipulation of information, sharing of information without understanding its consequences, and dissemination of fake news, which are types of information disorders. Wardle and Derakhshan classified information disorders into three categories: "Misinformation", "Disinformation" and "Malinformation" (1).

Unlike disinformation that is based on completely false information, health malinformation uses valid and acceptable medical information but subject to certain conditions or relatively accurate health information. This information is presented without considering the original context or in an incorrect context to lead people who encounter it to false or misleading impressions and conclusions. In fact, malinformation is reconfigured true information. When background or context, such as time, place, or privacy, is not considered, it can create a perception that conflicts with reality and harm individuals, organizations, and collective understanding (2). The important point in the circulation of health malinformation is the intention of the sender of the information or message, which is done intentionally and with malicious intent in order to cause real harm or the threat of real harm to a person, organization or country. Therefore, in promoting malinformation, the person's intention to harm is certain, not accidental, which can be harmful and even dangerous for others, and at the same time, it has a criminal aspect (3).

Highlights

Mohammadreza Hashemian : Google Scholar، Pubmed

Peyman Adibi: Google Scholar، Pubmed

 Firoozeh Zare-Farashbandi: Google Scholar، Pubmed

Keywords

• malinformation
• health
• informtion disorders

Main Subjects

• Library and Medical Information