Understanding and supporting young people exposed to online misinformation about eczema
Intended for healthcare professionals
Evidence and practice    

Understanding and supporting young people exposed to online misinformation about eczema

Sandra Lawton Charity ambassador and dermatology nurse, Eczema Outreach Support, Linlithgow, Scotland
Catalina Runcie Chair, Eczema Outreach Support youth panel, Linlithgow, Scotland
Clair Murdoch Family worker, Eczema Outreach Support, Linlithgow, Scotland

Why you should read this article:
  • To better understand how young people use the internet and social media to source health information

  • To read about particular areas of misinformation about eczema on the internet and social media

  • To develop strategies for countering online misinformation about skin conditions

The traditional patient-clinician relationship is changing as young people and their families often now turn to the internet and social media for health information, treatment advice and support. Much of that content, however, is unregulated, unverified and inaccurate, which leads to the dissemination of health misinformation. Healthcare professionals working with young people with eczema and their families need to understand why young people turn to social media for health information, identify trends in online misinformation about eczema, and provide alternative, trustworthy sources of information. This article discusses particular areas of online misinformation about eczema as well as dermatology content on specific social media platforms. It also reports the views of young people on the youth panel of the charity Eczema Outreach Support about different social media platforms.

Nursing Children and Young People. doi: 10.7748/ncyp.2024.e1517

Peer review

This article has been subject to open peer review and checked for plagiarism using automated software

@EczemaOutreach

Correspondence

info@eos.org.uk

Conflict of interest

None declared

Lawton S, Runcie C, Murdoch C (2024) Understanding and supporting young people exposed to online misinformation about eczema. Nursing Children and Young People. doi: 10.7748/ncyp.2024.e1517

Published online: 05 August 2024

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