Evidence Hunting

Having experience in finding high-quality evidence-based practice papers – can you spot the bad ones Download bad ones?
• Here are a few articles of interest:
o Systematic Literature Review on the Spread of Health-related Misinformation on Social Media.pdfDownload Systematic Literature Review on the Spread of Health-related Misinformation on Social Media.pdf
o Pseudoscience and fraudulent products for COVID-19 management.pdfDownload Pseudoscience and fraudulent products for COVID-19 management.pdf
 TL_DR Pseudoscience_COVID_Summary.pdfDownload TL_DR Pseudoscience_COVID_Summary.pdf
 Interestingly, the original article discusses the “news” media and how often they spread misinformation – important to note some “news” channels are “entertainment news” (i.e. CNN, Fox News, etc), they skew their reporting to their inteneded audience
With the advent of social media, news sites/blogs, and viral information, faulty information has increased exponentially! It is now more important than ever to do research outside of the immediate article regarding scientific claims made by the media, by individuals on social media, or even by “trusted” healthcare professionals who are disingenuous.
• MAHA report misled and fabricated citationsDownload MAHA report misled and fabricated citations
o PMHNP students need to know about the MAHA report’s fabrication scandal not because of who wrote it, but because it’s a real-time case study in why scientific literacy, critical appraisal skills, and professional ethics matter. If we don’t demand rigor from our sources, we have no standing to ask it of anyone else
Holding a health professional license does not automatically make someone an expert in all areas of healthcare. Unfortunately, some licensed professionals may unintentionally—or at times intentionally—spread misinformation outside their scope of expertise. As nurses, we have a responsibility to ensure the public receives accurate, evidence-based information. It is part of our professional duty to correct misconceptions and avoid contributing to the spread of misinformation.
This assignment is meant to help better identify the following:
• Headlines are based on bad/non-existent science but have headlines that indicate they are based on scientific evidence.
• Science with sensationalism. Promotes unfounded/lofty claims to scientific results. (where did the research take place/ how profound are the findings)
• Pseudoscience (Astrology, Aromatherapy, Homeopathy, etc.)
• Predatory Journals
STEP 1:

1. In this assignment, you are to find either a news story/blog/website that contains misinformation being disseminated OR if you are aware of a journal article that is not valid (junk science) such as those found in predatory journals.
   The topic can be anything related to healthcare, preferably regarding mental health, (especially marginalized communities have been hard hit recently) however, other healthcare areas are accepted that are well known to be hit hard with misinformation such as vaccines, especially the misinformation with the COVID-19 vaccines or COVID-19 Download COVID-19in general, misinformation on influenza vaccines, and the nonexistent connection of autism and the MMR vaccine.
   Required Reading:
   NCCIH – Evaluating Health Information OnlineLinks to an external site.
   Rowan University Library – Evaluating Online SourcesLinks to an external site.
   STEP 2 RUBRIC:
   • Click the three dots in the upper right hand corner to view the Rubric