Combating Misinformation

In This Section

Health care misinformation is growing increasingly pervasive online, posing real harm to patients seeking to educate themselves about their bodies, their health, and their options for care. Misinformation and myths make it harder for clinicians to care for their patients and harder for people to access evidence-based health care. They also threaten the availability of that care by inspiring harmful, restrictive laws and policy that don’t take into account science, evidence, or potential effects for patients and physicians.

ACOG is working to combat misinformation related to obstetric and gynecologic health care wherever it appears, be it on social media, in news articles, in the legislature, or in court rooms. We are working tirelessly to counter health care misinformation and connect people with factual, evidence-based information about obstetric and gynecologic health care.

We have created and compiled the resources below to help people identify misinformation when they see it, combat myths, provide evidence-based information, and help clinicians talk with their patients about misinformation and communicate the facts.

Issue Briefs

Issue briefs help advocates explain and communicate ACOG’s position on issues important to the profession of obstetrics and gynecology to elected officials.

Facts Are Important

Facts Are Important documents provide clinicians and patients alike with the information they need to refute pervasive misinformation and myths about obstetric and gynecologic health care.

Misinformation Data

Data increasingly demonstrates the prevalence and harm of misinformation on social media. These studies examine how people interact with misinformation—a key element of confronting those myths.