Have you ever read a health claim online, believed it at first, and only later realized it wasn’t actually true?
For many Ontarians, this experience is becoming increasingly common.
Health misinformation isn’t new, but its scale, speed, and influence have grown dramatically over the past decade. Social media platforms, AI-generated content, and the rise of so-called “health influencers,” compounded by global events like the COVID-19 pandemic and growing distrust in traditional institutions, now play a significant role in shaping how people understand and manage their health. At the same time, individuals are being asked to make increasingly complex health decisions, often without reliable access to a trusted healthcare professional, ultimately creating a risking combination.
When Access to Care Is Limited, Misinformation Fills the Gap
Misinformation thrives where access to care is constrained, and in Ontario, that reality is becoming harder to ignore. The 2025 National OurCare Survey estimated that there are still 5.9 million people who do not have access to primary care in Canada. When timely, in-person care isn’t available, people understandably turn to what is accessible: search engines, social media feeds, and online forums.
The result is a compounding cycle of misleading or incomplete information delaying proper care, delayed care leading to worse outcomes, and worse outcomes leading to a greater strain on an already overworked healthcare system.
Over time, this cycle doesn’t just affect individual patients; it contributes to broader public health challenges and erodes confidence in our healthcare institutions.
This growing challenge is reflected in data from the Canadian Medical Association’s 2025 Health and Media Annual Tracking System:
- 43% of Canadians are highly susceptible to health misinformation, with another 35% moderately susceptible.
- 37% of Canadians report acting on online medical advice due to poor access to healthcare.
- Among those individuals, nearly one in four experienced negative health outcomes as a result.
This creates a troubling feedback loop. As misinformation spreads, and continues to rank among the top global risks, particularly for younger populations, trust in traditional, evidence-based institutions begins to weaken.
Access Remains the Barrier
So, the question becomes: What if access to a qualified healthcare provider wasn’t the limiting factor?
This is where Nurse Practitioners (NPs) play a key role.
Nurse Practitioners: Trusted Care in a Time of Uncertainty
Ontario’s healthcare system is under immense pressure, particularly amongst vulnerable, rural, and underserved communities. Demand continues to outpace capacity, but NPs are helping to close that gap.
There are over 5,800 NPs serving 13.6 million Ontarians in hospitals, primary, secondary, and tertiary care, long-term care, and community health settings (just to name a few!). With over 8 years of academic and clinical preparation, NPs are highly-trained, regulated and responsible healthcare leaders who are authorized to:
- Assess, diagnose, and manage patients
- Prescribe medications and provide preventative care
- Support chronic disease management
- Coordinate care across sectors and care teams
NPs are one of the fastest-growing segments of Ontario’s healthcare workforce. Our role sits at the intersection of clinical care and patient education, making NPs uniquely positioned to counter misinformation with evidence-based, patient-centred guidance.
Strengthening Health Literacy and Trust
Improving health literacy isn’t just about correcting false information after it spreads. It starts with ensuring timely access to clinicians and elevating trusted, evidence-based voices within our healthcare system.
NPs are committed to being a trusted leader for Ontarians, must this mean that we must have the tools necessary to do this. If Ontario wants to rebuild trust in the system, it must move quickly to recover lost ground and address the gaps in health literacy and healthcare access by providing NPs with:
- Flexible, modern funding models that support the full integration of NPs across diverse care settings, unlocking the capacity to serve more patients where and when they need it.
- Compensation and retention strategies that reflect professional equity, ensuring NPs are valued for the depth of their expertise and the breadth of their expanding scope of practice.
- Recognition of NPs as healthcare leaders, with strengthened roles in interprofessional teams, NP-led clinics, and provincial decision‑making tables where system design and policy are shaped.
- Enhanced data collection and outcome measurement that captures the true impact of NP‑delivered care, enabling more effective planning, resource allocation, and public trust in the system.
At the Nurse Practitioners’ Association of Ontario (NPAO), we believe trust is built through access, education, and leadership. In an era where misinformation spreads faster than ever, Ontario needs a healthcare system that is accessible, resilient, and grounded in evidence-based care. Nurse Practitioners are ready, and equipped, to be part of that solution.
