These days, patients can access a confident-sounding health claim online in seconds rather than waiting days for a GP appointment.
With vaccination rates dropping across the board, including an increasing number of parents refusing the life-saving Vitamin K injection for newborns, the information pharmacists provide has never mattered more.
Four pharmacist influencers join one of PSA26’s most timely panels to unpack what the profession is up against – and how to fight back.
How did we get here?
While the spread of health misinformation did not begin with COVID-19, the pandemic magnified the problem, fuelling vaccine hesitancy, said PSA’s Vaccination Ambassador Anna Theophilos MPS.
‘Before the pandemic, those voices were the ones people were rolling their eyes at, but they got a lot of traction during COVID-19. Now I think we’re seeing the consequences of that,’ she said.
This includes a profession caught flat-footed. ‘For a long time, health professionals thought people were discerning enough to navigate that noise. Now the public are hearing loud, confident voices online that are not ashamed to give their opinion.
Pharmacist and medical doctor Mustafa Dhahir, who has over 300,000 followers on TikTok, traces the same trajectory, pointing to a growing perception that pharmacists are now confronting head-on.
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‘There is a growing narrative online that healthcare professionals, including pharmacists, are influenced by pharmaceutical companies or are motivated to prescribe or recommend medicines simply to benefit “Big Pharma”,’ he said. ‘Some claims even suggest that medicines are intentionally promoted to keep people dependent on treatment, rather than to improve their health.’
The irony, Ms Theophilos points out, is that the same patients pushing back on vaccine recommendations will take their blood pressure or a diabetes medicine without question. ‘The same [body], the TGA, is setting those safety standards and recommendations,’ she added.
The counter and the comment section
The panel explores not just what misinformation looks like, but where it prospers. For Ms Theophilos, there’s a sharp distinction between how it presents at the pharmacy counter and the online environment.
‘If they’re already in the pharmacy asking questions, they’re generally more receptive to having a conversation,’ she said. ‘In this case, I would probably say they already see you as a trusted voice, so generally, it’s [less of] a hostile space.’
Online, the rules are entirely different. ‘There’s not those social norms or politeness. It’s like a war zone,’ Ms Theophilos said.
On social media, the visible exchange is rarely the real one, Dr Dhahir said.
‘I’m not just responding to the individual who made the comment or video. There are often hundreds or thousands of people silently reading or watching [online],’ he said.
‘If healthcare professionals appear dismissive or hostile, it can reinforce the perception that legitimate questions aren’t welcome and may push people who are undecided toward misinformation rather than away from it.’
For Shaylee Mills, or the ‘Rural Pharmacist’ as she is known online, the geography of rural practice adds another layer of complexity.
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‘If somebody acts or does something based on that misinformation and it ends up in poor health consequences, it’s a lot harder to improve the patient’s health or rectify that because of the lack of access to healthcare,’ said Ms Mills, who works as a community pharmacist and at Mawarnkarra Health Service in the Pilbara region of Western Australia.
‘It’s not as easy getting into a doctor; they might have to drive 45 minutes to an hour out of town if they’ve got a health issue.’
Curiosity over confrontation
While providing evidence-based information is crucial, the delivery is just as important.
‘The biggest tip I give anybody when we talk about this space is to approach the conversations with empathy,’ Ms Theophilos said.
‘These people are genuinely exposed to misinformation, and they often feel emotionally responsible, and an advocate for their child. My biggest tip is to stay curious; trying to work out why they’ve landed where they are will give you the best way to answer their question,’ she said.
Kate Thomas, a clinical pharmacist and host of On the Mones podcast, applies a similar lens when deciding whether a viral claim is worth taking on.
‘For me it comes down to potential harm. If a claim is simply a bit odd but unlikely to change anyone’s health decisions, I usually let it pass,’ she said.
@prescribeorpass
‘But if it’s encouraging people to delay effective treatment, spend money on ineffective products, or lose trust in evidence-based care, then I think it’s worth addressing.’
When she does engage, her instinct is to listen first.
‘If someone feels strongly about a health trend, telling them they’re wrong is rarely productive. Rather, I ask what they’ve heard, where they heard it and what appeals to them about it,’ Ms Thomas said. ‘Once people feel heard, they’re usually much more open to discussing the evidence. Our role isn’t just to provide facts; it’s to help people make sense of them. The best conversations are collaborative, not confrontational.’
When engaging with misinformation, Dr Dhahir makes it explicit from the outset that he and the patient, or poster, share the same goal.
‘Our shared goal is better health, not winning an argument,’ he said. ‘It can be tempting to respond with frustration or match the tone of someone spreading misinformation, particularly on social media, but I think that approach is often counterproductive. Responding with patience and kindness is far more effective.’
Every pharmacist’s problem
Misinformation is not just an issue for health professionals with an online presence; it’s something every pharmacist needs to address, regardless of whether they have ever posted content.
‘It’s a space people need to start paying attention to, that we ignored for too long. We’ve got to commit to stepping into this space and be able to have confident conversations,’ Ms Theophilos said.
Dr Dhahir wants delegates to develop both confidence and clarity about the stakes.
‘I hope pharmacists walk away from the session feeling more confident about engaging on social media in a way that is both effective and professionally responsible,’ he said.
‘A single post or comment can have significant consequences, both for the people reading it and for your own professional reputation.’
Understanding where those boundaries are, and how to navigate them safely, is becoming increasingly important.
‘If we can communicate accurate health information in a way that is approachable, engaging and trustworthy, we can make a genuine difference to the health literacy of our communities,’ Dr Dhahir added.
Hear from all four panellists at the ‘How do you solve a problem like…’ session at PSA26. Register here to attend.
