Impact of Online Medical Misinformation

August 11, 2026 updated by: Mohamed Fakhry Ahmed Salem, Alexandria University

Online Health Misinformation and Its Association With Medication Adherence, Treatment Decision-making, and Health Care-Seeking Behavior Among Patients With Chronic Diseases: A Cross-sectional Study

A cross-sectional analytical study was conducted among adult patients diagnosed with chronic diseases to assess the impact of online medical misinformation on medication adherence, treatment decision-making, and health care-seeking behavior.

Study Overview

Status

Completed

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Study Type

Observational

Enrollment (Actual)

402

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Locations

  • Egypt
    • Alexandria Governorate
      • Alexandria, Alexandria Governorate, Egypt, 21511
        • Faculty of Nursing, Alexandria University

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Adult
  • Older Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Sampling Method

Non-Probability Sample

Study Population

Adult patients with chronic diseases attending outpatient clinics, who actively use social media and are exposed to online medical information.

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Adults ≥ 18 years
  • Disease duration ≥ 6 months
  • Social media use at least once weekly
  • Able to provide informed consent

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Severe cognitive or psychiatric disorders

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

Cohorts and Interventions

Group / Cohort
Intervention / Treatment
Single Cohort: Adults With Chronic Diseases Exposed to Online Medical Information
Other: None (observational)
None (observational)

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Medication Adherence (MARS-5 Score)
Time Frame: At baseline survey assessment
Description: Measures adherence to prescribed medications
At baseline survey assessment
Treatment Decision Changes (OHIU-CD Subscale)
Time Frame: At baseline survey assessment
Measures changes in treatment decisions influenced by online information
At baseline survey assessment
Healthcare-Seeking Behavior Score
Time Frame: At baseline survey assessment
At baseline survey assessment

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Susceptibility to Medical Misinformation (OMISS Score)
Time Frame: At baseline survey assessment
Measures verification behavior toward online medical information
At baseline survey assessment
Treatment Decision Changes (OHIU-CD Subscale)
Time Frame: At baseline survey assessment
Measures changes in treatment decisions influenced by online information
At baseline survey assessment
Healthcare-Seeking Behavior Score
Time Frame: At baseline survey assessment
At baseline survey assessment
Qualitative Themes of Misinformation Impact
Time Frame: At baseline survey assessment
At baseline survey assessment

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Alexandria University

Investigators

  • Principal Investigator: Mohamed Fakhry Ahmed Salem, PHD, Alexandria University

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Actual)

May 20, 2026

Primary Completion (Actual)

June 30, 2026

Study Completion (Actual)

July 30, 2026

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

May 9, 2026

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

May 15, 2026

First Posted (Actual)

May 22, 2026

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

August 13, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

August 11, 2026

Last Verified

May 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • AU-20-10-476

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

NO

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

Subscribe