Countering false information in health care

April 16, 2025

As millions of Canadians struggle with access to health care, many are turning to social media for medical advice. What they’re finding is a growing amount of false information.

The Canadian Medical Association’s (CMA’s) 2025 Health and Media Annual Tracking Survey Opens in a new window found that 62% of Canadians have encountered health information they later found to be false or misleading, an 8% jump from 2024. And 23% reported having a negative health reaction from following online health advice.

For the release of the tracking survey in January, CMA President Dr. Joss Reimer took part in a panel discussion — How healthy is Canada’s information environment? Opens in a new window — and shared a story about a female patient who suffered a post-partum hemorrhage and refused a transfusion because she didn’t want “vaccinated blood.”

“That was heartbreaking because this was someone trying to make the best decision for herself, her family and her new baby, but she was making that decision based on bad information that became a life-or-death situation.” — Dr. Joss Reimer

How the CMA is combatting false health information

The CMA is committed to supporting improvements in the quality and quantity of accurate and accessible health and health system information in Canada through several initiatives:

Annual tracking research

Started in 2024, in partnership with Abacus Data, the CMA conducts an annual survey to gauge the spread of false health information in Canada, the key drivers, the consequences of that exposure and potential strategies to counter the problem.

Related resources:

• New research shows the problem of health misinformation in Canada is growing Opens in a new window
• 2024 Health and Media Annual Tracking Survey Opens in a new window
• Fighting health misinformation: Survey shows medical professionals among most trusted news sources Opens in a new window
• Commentary: Misinformation and the primary care crisis Opens in a new window

Funding health journalism

The CMA is strengthening the future of health journalism by providing support for fact-based health reporting. Since 2022, the CMA has funded three reporting positions Opens in a new window at The Canadian Press/La Presse Canadienne focused on health and health care, and the impact on Canadians. More recently, the CMA collaborated with The Canadian Journalism Foundation to establish a multi-year fellowship for Indigenous journalists Opens in a new window, with the aim of fostering expert reporting on health issues affecting Indigenous communities in Canada.

Social media network of physicians

Physicians are among the most trusted sources of health information. Through its media network, the CMA brings together physicians who share a passion for social media advocacy, including fighting false information.

Breaking down complex health care issues

The CMA is also helping young Canadians make sense of key issues in health care with initiatives such as Healthcare for Real, Opens in a new window an online hub that seeks to answer questions about the health system through detailed explainers and clever short-form videos.

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