SPJ Publication
New Era Medical Journal
Open Access Mini Review

Impact of Social Media Health Information on Medical Decision-Making

*

* Corresponding author: Binita Kumari

DOI10.62502/nemj/v2i1art5
Pages 24–28Language EN Crossmark XML metadata
  1. Received30 Dec 2025
  2. Accepted28 Feb 2026
  3. Published28 Mar 2026

Abstract

Social media has become an important source of health information and increasingly influences how individuals interpret symptoms, seek healthcare, evaluate treatment options, and make medical decisions. Although social media can improve access to health education, patient engagement, and peer support, it also facilitates the rapid dissemination of misinformation and unverified medical claims. The impact of social media on medical decision-making is influenced by health literacy, digital literacy, perceived source credibility, emotional responses, social influence, and previous healthcare experiences. Evidence indicates that reliable online health information can support informed decision-making and patient–provider communication, whereas misleading content may contribute to self-diagnosis, treatment refusal, inappropriate self-medication, delayed healthcare seeking, and vaccine hesitancy. This review summarizes the potential benefits and risks of social media health information and discusses the role of digital health literacy and healthcare professionals in promoting evidence-based decision-making.

Keywords

Social MediaHealth InformationMedical Decision-MakingHealth MisinformationDigital Health LiteracyPatient Education

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