ArticleDigital health
Digital health misinformation in pharmacy practice: A foundational cross-sectional survey of Saudi pharmacists' experiences with social media and AI-generated health information.
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Abstract
Background: Digital health misinformation on social media and emerging AI platforms poses a growing challenge for healthcare systems. Community pharmacists are often the first point of contact for patients influenced by online health content, yet limited evidence exists from Saudi Arabia, where social media engagement is among the highest globally. Objective: To examine how community pharmacists in Saudi Arabia experience digital health misinformation, including its sources, patient impacts, confidence in addressing misinformation, and training needs. Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional online survey was conducted among licensed community pharmacists in Saudi Arabia between March and April 2025. Using a convenience-plus-snowball sampling strategy, A total of 768 completed survey responses from licensed community pharmacists were included in the analysis. These responses were obtained through an anonymous, nationally distributed electronic questionnaire. The survey explored exposure to misinformation, pharmacists' confidence, and preferred training modalities. Descriptive statistics and regression analyses were used to identify predictors of key outcomes. Results: Most pharmacists (89.6%) reported encountering patient-derived digital health misinformation, with 51.6% experiencing such encounters weekly or daily. Facebook (39.3%) and WhatsApp (27.7%) were identified as the most common sources, while 10% of encounters involved AI-generated content. Common misinformation themes included supplement misuse (27.1%) and concerns about medication safety (25.7%). Only 34.5% of pharmacists felt confident in identifying or correcting misinformation. Age, years of experience, and frequency of exposure were significantly associated with higher confidence and with perceived patient-behaviour impact. More than half (59.5%) supported formal training in misinformation management. Conclusions: Digital misinformation is now a routine component of community pharmacy practice in Saudi Arabia and has tangible implications for patient behaviour and medication safety. Although confidence in managing misinformation was low, digitally active community pharmacists expressed strong readiness for targeted training. These findings underscore the need for structured educational initiatives and coordinated policy responses to strengthen digital health literacy and misinformation management within pharmacy practice.
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