Can we improve the quality of medical news merely by increasing journalists' health knowledge?

The aim of this study was to determine the effectiveness of an educational intervention on the quality of health research-based news, given the sensitivity of disseminating incorrect information.

An uncontrolled before-after study was conducted among health news producers in Tehran from November 2011 to March 2012. The intervention that included educational content in the form of a workshop was evaluated in advance. The outcome of measuring the scientific quality of news extracted from medical and health research results was considered for authenticity and accuracy. The health research-based news quality assessment tool was used. In this study, 32 individuals voluntarily entered the program, and their produced news was collected in 4 stages. To determine the effectiveness of the educational intervention, paired t-tests were used. SPSS version 17 was used for statistical analysis and p<0.05 was considered significant.

The mean score (±SD) of the participants' produced news was 0.40 (±0.089) before and 0.61 (±0.086) after the intervention, which increased by 0.21±0.09 (p<0.001). Of the news collected from the participants as baseline data, 544 (65%) articles aimed at increasing public knowledge and awareness. Almost all the news had been gathered from interviews, and only 41 (4.8%) news articles were based on health research results.

The educational intervention proved effective in promoting the quality of health research news. Only a few health journalists participated in this study, and thus the need to educate health news producers is felt. Since interviews with health researchers and experts were the largest source of news, interventions need to target other groups who affect the quality and accuracy of the news.