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PDFOpen Access (License Unspecified), Open Access
Thesis
Navigating health misinformation and patient hesitancy: an interactive elearning approach for clinician communication
Master of Science (M.S.), Drexel University
Dec 2025
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.17918/00011236
Abstract
This study explored how digital instructional design can enhance clinicians' communication skills in addressing health misinformation. The project involved the design, development, and evaluation of a 30-minute interactive eLearning course titled Navigating Health Misinformation and Patient Hesitancy to Health Recommendations. The course aimed to help clinicians strengthen empathy, build trust, and apply evidence-based strategies such as prebunking and debunking within patient interactions. Guided by the ADDIE instructional design model and Adult Learning Theory, the research combined systematic design processes with a learner-centered pedagogical approach. Subject matter experts (SMEs) in health communication, instructional design, and clinical practice reviewed and evaluated the module, and their feedback was analyzed using Braun and Clarke's six-step thematic analysis. Key themes included empathy as a core communication skill, humor within professional boundaries, cultural sensitivity, realism, and learner engagement. The results demonstrate that digital microlearning, when informed by empathy, humor, and realism, can cultivate both knowledge and relational competence in clinicians. This study contributes to the theoretical integration of instructional design and health communication, offering a replicable model for training healthcare professionals to navigate misinformation with emotional intelligence, trust, and credibility.
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Details
- Title
- Navigating health misinformation and patient hesitancy
- Creators
- Jeffrey T. Cohen
- Contributors
- Michael G. Wagner (Advisor)
- Awarding Institution
- Drexel University
- Degree Awarded
- Master of Science (M.S.)
- Publisher
- Drexel University
- Number of pages
- xi, 60 pages
- Resource Type
- Thesis
- Language
- English
- Academic Unit
- Digital Media; Drexel University; Antoinette Westphal College of Media Arts and Design
- Other Identifier
- 991022146807204721