Charity’s bid to expose fake cancer cures on the web
‘Cause unnecessary worry and distress’
A CANCER charity has appointed a nurse to combat ‘fake news’ online.
Macmillan Cancer Support is concerned patients use unreliable websites that could leave them ‘needlessly frightened’ and at risk of ‘bogus cures’.
It has appointed its first digital nurse to combat online myths it has come across, including claims chemotherapy is a bigger killer than cancer itself and that baking soda can cure breast cancer.
The Glasgow-based digital nurse specialist will be dedicated to answering questions from people affected by cancer online.
The appointment comes as Macmillan research, conducted by YouGov, found more than a third of people in Scotland with cancer looked up information about their diagnosis online.
Of those, one in ten said they went online because they did not fully understand what they had been told about their cancer. Four per cent of cancer patients thought they were going to die after looking up details online.
Macmillan’s Scotland boss Janice Preston said: ‘It’s understandable that people go online to look up their diagnosis, but it is vital they get reliable information.
‘As well as fantastic information and support, the web is full of unverified statistics, fake news and horror stories that can cause unnecessary worry and distress.’
She added: ‘It is important that people have access to trusted information online and know how to separate accurate websites from those with incorrect or even dangerous information.
‘We hope our new digital nurse will help people find answers online. She will be there to answer questions about cancer and make sure they get the information they desperately need.’
Macmillan is concerned some patients look online because they are leaving appointments without the facts they need.
A recent Cancer Patient Experience Survey in Scotland showed a quarter of patients did not fully understand the explanation of what was wrong with them.
The charity wants to make sure patients fully understand their illness and direct them to reputable sources of information online.
New Macmillan digital nurse specialist Ellen McPake said: ‘As more and more people seek information about their cancer online, we want them to know we are able to offer reliable health advice.
‘In my new role, I am there to make sure people affected by cancer have a real person they can turn to online for information about their symptoms, cancer diagnosis and treatment.’
Headteacher Kay Robertson, 51, used the internet to learn more about her illness after being diagnosed with a rare form of liver cancer in March 2014 and when it returned in May 2016. The mother of two from Crieff, Perthshire, said: ‘I Googled everything, all the way through my cancer.
‘I was lucky I had a fantastic consultant and a Macmillan nurse who explained things really well, but there was always something I needed to look up.
‘Everyone is just so used to getting information instantly now that going online is inevitable.’
Mrs Robertson, who is now fully recovered, added: ‘There is so much false information out there. I was careful to only look at websites I knew I could trust, like Macmillan or the NHS.
‘It’s too easy to go online and find the worst case scenario.’