Elsevier launches India COVID-19 Healthcare Hub to curb spread of misinformation

A recent study showed that 67.2 percent of misinformation in India involves health-related topics, such as falsehoods on the COVID-19 vaccine, other forms of medical treatments, medical institutions, and healthcare facilities.

The same study also found that online media was responsible for higher volumes of inaccurate news (94.4 percent) in comparison with mainstream media (5.6 percent), with false claims being distributed mainly on social media platforms.

To address this problem, Elsevier, a global information and analytics business, launched its India COVID-19 Healthcare Hub for frontline healthcare workers and members of the public in India. It offers the latest evidence-based information along with information on the management and prevention of the virus, thereby limiting the spread of misinformation.

The Hub contains the latest fact-based information on COVID-19, including approved treatments and guidelines, along with other useful tools to help doctors, nurses and healthcare workers provide patient care.

It also aims to meet the increasing need for standardised, credible, and accurate information around the pandemic, to allow healthcare professionals to provide consistent and safe patient care.

Kok Keng Lim, Managing Director, Asia Pacific, Elsevier, said, “By aligning these localised resources to global care standards, we aim to support frontline workers with credible data and patient discussion tools that can bolster their confidence to address concerns, dispel vaccine falsities, and quickly make critical decisions for better patient outcomes.

“The India COVID-19 Healthcare Hub also provides patients with a single source of accurate data to curb the spread of misinformation on the disease,” he added. 

ALSO READ

Honeywell setting up COVID care centres in 5 states

In addition to the India COVID-19 Healthcare Hub, Elsevier is also supporting Swasth Foundation, a non-profit that promotes universal and affordable healthcare for the people of India.

Together with the RELX Group, Elsevier’s parent company, the two organisations have contributed approximately 22 high-flow oxygen concentrators to support more than 12,000 critically ill patients in India. Shankar Kaul, Managing Director, India, Elsevier, said,

“The COVID-19 pandemic has been a global health crisis for over a year, and our teams across the United Kingdom and Latin America have conducted extensive research around three variants of coronavirus. These global insights are now available through the India COVID-19 Healthcare Hub, providing the public and healthcare professionals with access to the latest resources to manage the new strain of the virus.”

“The India COVID-19 Healthcare Hub provides support to healthcare institutions, hospitals, and healthcare professionals through evidence-based resources that can educate patients while protecting others in their communities. We urge all frontline workers and members of the public to utilise these resources to remain well informed about the prevention and management of COVID-19,” he further added.