Digital health platform Sharecare is expanding its suite of patient education tools, including a chatbot where users can ask condition-specific questions and a virtual assistant that can guide patients through research and treatment plans.

The company also announced a “social aggregator” that curates social media content about patients' health needs and expanded interactive data visualizations.

Sharecare said these tools reflect patients’ growing interest in finding health information online and through social media.

"These recent additions to our product suite were designed not only to align with emerging consumer trends and preferences in today's complex health landscape, but also to foster more productive connections between people and the healthcare brands they trust," Laura Klein, executive vice president and general manager of consumer solutions at Sharecare, said in a statement.

WHY IT MATTERS

Most Americans are turning to the internet to research health conditions and symptoms. A 2019 Kaiser Family Foundation survey found 70% of U.S. adults reported using the internet or their smartphones to research symptoms at least a few times a year.

But it’s difficult for some to figure out which sources of information are fair and accurate. A 2018 survey commissioned by communications and marketing firm Weber Shandwick and KRC Research revealed 52% of those surveyed who look for health information online were concerned about false or misleading information, and 83% were concerned about misleading medical information on social media. 

The pandemic has kicked misinformation into high gear, as falsehoods spread about COVID-19 vaccines and treatments. A Pew Research report on news and information in 2020 found adults who primarily relied on social media for news were more likely to hear false claims about a connection between 5G technology and the coronavirus, or that vitamin C could prevent infection.

Last month, Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy warned that this type of misinformation is endangering the nation’s response to the pandemic.

"Health misinformation is an urgent threat to public health. It can cause confusion, sow mistrust and undermine public health efforts, including our ongoing work to end the COVID-19 pandemic," Murthy said in a statement.

THE LARGER TREND

Sharecare provides a range of digital healthcare products, including smoking cessation, weight loss and anxiety management. The company recently went public through a merger with a special purpose acquisition company.

Last week, it announced its first public earnings call and closed the acquisition of home care provider CareLinx.

Sharecare has bought a spate of digital health companies over the past year and half. In February, the company wrapped up its acquisition of healthcare AI platform doc.ai. Last year, it scooped up WhiteHatAI, which uses AI to manage payments; behavioral health platform MindSciences; and population health and quality measurement tool Visualize Health.