Impacts of the infodemic on COVID-19 for Brazilian health professionals

Abstract

Abstract This article aims to analyze the effects of the COVID-19 infodemic from the perspective of Brazilian health workers regarding the patients, measure the impacts of fake news on health professionals, and verify the perception of health multidisciplinary teams regarding the authorities’ stance. This cross-sectional study is nested in the research “Health Professionals’ Working Conditions in the Brazilian Context of COVID-19”. The nationwide non-probability sampling included 15,132 professionals who worked in the COVID-19 frontline in health institutions of 2,200 Brazilian municipalities. Approximately 91% of respondents believed that fake news is an obstacle in fighting the SARS-CoV-2 virus; 76.1% declared they had seen patients who expressed faith in fake news about COVID-19; 29.3% agreed that the health authorities’ stance about COVID-19 was consistent and enlightening, and 62.6% disagreed about this. The respondents believe that the COVID-19 infodemic confused patients, impaired adherence to PHC measures, and stirred people’s negative behavior vis-à-vis the pandemic. The lack of clarity of the authorities’ stance influenced the COVID-19 infodemic process.