Misinformation vs. medicine: An old problem, but new levels of trust

Medical misinformation is not new; in fact, it has existed throughout history. But there are new streams of communication conveying it to patients who may be giving it new levels of trust. Physicians Foundation President Gary Price, MD, MBA, explains this historical and contemporary context.

Gary Price, MD, MBA: We all know that misinformation has become a bigger issue in all of our lives over the last five years. A lot's happened then. We've had COVID. We've had political use of misinformation and disinformation. We've seen foreign governments attempt to use it to influence our politics. We've seen people exploiting it seemingly just to get more followers on their podcast. Except for where that disinformation is coming from, which now social media appears to be playing a huge role, it's been around forever. Governments have used it forever. Every war is recorded history, the opponents have tried to use it against their foes, so that part isn't new. But what is new is the stream of information that patients are getting and the trust that they develop in that.