Pharmacists Must Combat Misinformation to Guide OTC Self-Care | APhA 2026

Pharmacists are increasingly on the front lines of a growing health misinformation crisis, helping separate fact from fiction at the pharmacy counter, particularly when patients seek OTC medications for self-care.¹

At the American Pharmacists Association 2026 Annual Meeting and Exposition, Stefanie Ferreri, PharmD, BCACP, FCCP, FAPhA, distinguished professor at the University of North Carolina Eshelman School of Pharmacy, presented a session titled “OTC Red Carpet Review: Stars of Self-Care.” Introducing the topic of misinformation in OTC self-care, Ferreri presented the many sources of poor health care information, including social media, artificial intelligence (AI), family and friends, and more.

Then, she highlighted sources not circulating misinformation, confirming the pharmacist’s role in guiding patients’ OTC self-care.

“Health care providers, health systems, those are not on [this list of sources of misinformation],” said Ferreri.¹ “When we start thinking about where do we get good information, [it’s] places that are not on the slide [of misinformation sources].”

READ MORE: Pharmacists Expanding Their Role in Improving Access to Contraceptives | APhA 2026

As patients increasingly view the pharmacy as a primary resource, pharmacists find themselves on the front lines of an infodemic—a term describing the overwhelming abundance of information that makes it difficult for consumers to distinguish fact from fiction.^1,2

This phenomenon is not merely a communication challenge but a legitimate patient safety and access issue. According to Research Square, data indicates that nearly 82% of adults have encountered misleading health content in just the past 6 months, which directly correlates to dangerous delays in seeking professional medical care.³

The modern information environment is further complicated by the rise of artificial intelligence (AI) and large language models (LLMs), which summarize vast amounts of unverified web data into authoritative-sounding advice. For instance, a patient might receive 4 different answers from an LLM depending on how they phrase a question about using nasal sprays during pregnancy, as Ferreri demonstrated.¹

This was notably observed during the October 2025 controversy regarding acetaminophen and its alleged links to autism and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, which elicited strong emotional responses and spread rapidly despite a lack of direct evidence. Such misinformation exploits human psychology by using emotional storytelling and a dopamine push that facts alone often fail to provide.

The global consequences of this misinformation are stark and widespread. During the COVID-19 pandemic, countries like Ecuador saw a staggering 2057% increase in ivermectin sales and a 171% rise in hydroxychloroquine consumption, largely driven by desperation and unproven therapeutic claims.^2,4,5

In India, the situation was exacerbated by lax regulatory restrictions and a lack of electronic health records, leading to a prevalence of self-medication as high as 93% in some populations. These trends resulted in severe drug shortages for patients with chronic conditions, such as lupus or arthritis, who rely on these medications for proven indications.^2,4

Pharmacists must also recognize that susceptibility to misinformation is not a simple matter of education. Research showed that while higher educational attainment increases an individual’s perceived ability to recognize misinformation, it does not protect them from the behavioral consequences of that exposure.³

Furthermore, traditional health literacy and numeracy skills are effective at identifying sensational headlines but offer almost no protection against technologically mediated deception like AI-generated imagery or official source impersonation. These informational harms are also unevenly distributed, with ethnic minority groups and urban residents facing significantly higher risks of delayed care following exposure to misleading content.

To combat these parallel concerns, pharmacists are encouraged to move away from an authoritative “I know best” approach toward a collaborative and empathetic spirit. Tools like the SIFT method (Stop, Investigate, Find better coverage, Trace claims) and the CRAAP test (Currency, Relevance, Authority, Accuracy, Purpose) are essential for helping patients evaluate what they find online.¹

By serving as stewards for reliable information, pharmacists can proactively address vaccine hesitancy, manage minor ailments appropriately, and discourage the use of unproven “magic drugs,” especially amid the increased use of self-medication.² The goal is to maximize positive outcomes for self-care by meeting patients where they are with compassion, honesty, and a steadfast focus on safety.¹

“Combating the misinformation requires a shift away from ‘I know best’—that authoritative response and telling our patients what to do,” concluded Ferreri. “It's more of a collaborative and cooperative spirit. It requires a shift away from broad messaging and more towards [an] individualized and personalized approach.”

READ MORE: APhA Annual Meeting and Exposition

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REFERENCES

1. Ferreri S, Krinsky D. OTC red carpet review: stars of self-care. Presented at: American Pharmacists Association 2026 Annual Meeting and Exposition; March 27-30, 2024; Los Angeles, CA.

2. Erku DA, Belachew SA, Abrha S, et al. When fear and misinformation go viral: Pharmacists’ role in deterring medication misinformation during the “infodemic” surrounding COVID-19. Res Social Adm Pharm. 2020;17(1):1954-1963. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sapharm.2020.04.032

3. El-Osta A, Altalib S, Gumede D, et al. Exposure to health misinformation, self-care confidence and delayed care-seeking among adults in the UK: a cross-sectional survey. Research Square. https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-8824194/v1

4. Ray I, Bardhan M, Hasan MM, et al. Over the counter drugs and self-medication: a worldwide paranoia and a troublesome situation in India during the COVID-19 pandemic. Ann Med Surg (Lond). 2022 Jun;78:103797. doi: 10.1016/j.amsu.2022.103797.

5. Ortiz-Prado E, Izquierdo-Condoy JS, Mora C, et al. Poor regulation, desperation, and misinformation, a countrywide analysis of self-medication and prescription patterns in Ecuador during the COVID-19 pandemic. Res Social Adm Pharm. 2023;19(12):1579-1589. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sapharm.2023.08.011