What patients are hearing, with Colleen Denny, M.D., FACOG

Patients are making health decisions in a very different information environment — one shaped by social media, search engines, generative artificial intelligence (AI) and increasingly politicized medical claims.

Medical Economics Senior Editor Richard Payerchin sat down with Colleen Denny, M.D., FACOG, chief ethics officer for the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG), to talk about where patients are hearing medical misinformation, how it's showing up in exam rooms and what physicians can do about it.

Denny explains why misinformation now extends far beyond vaccines, touching everything from contraception and pregnancy care to acetaminophen use during pregnancy and reproductive health more broadly. She discusses how patients weigh online claims alongside clinical advice, how conflicting federal messaging can complicate care and why physicians have a responsibility to clarify evidence even when the science is nuanced.

Don’t miss our recent episodes on financial independence, physician training, vaccine hesitancy and concierge medicine.

Music Credits:
Sky drifter by Cephas - stock.adobe.com
A Textbook Example by Skip Peck - stock.adobe.com

Editor's note: Episode timestamps and transcript produced using AI tools.

0:00 — Cold open
Why it’s more complicated to be a patient today than it was before the internet.

0:13 — Intro
Austin Littrell introduces the episode and previews the discussion with Colleen Denny, M.D., FACOG, on medical misinformation.

1:12 — Interview begins
Richard Payerchin welcomes Denny and asks about trust in medicine and whether science is under attack.

1:35 — The information overload problem
How social media, search engines and generative AI have changed patient decision-making.

3:21 — Erosion of trust — and what hasn’t changed
Why patients still say they want information from physicians, even as other sources grow louder.

4:44 — “Dr. Google” in the exam room
Real examples of misinformation patients bring to OB-GYN visits.

5:00 — Contraception myths and clickbait headlines
From benign concerns to fears about permanent infertility.

5:46 — Depo-Provera and meningioma headlines
How partial data and sensational framing complicate patient counseling.

6:34 — Balancing risk and reality
Helping patients weigh rare risks against the real consequences of pregnancy.

8:05 — Misinformation beyond vaccines
How acetaminophen guidance during pregnancy became a flashpoint.

8:23 — Physicians’ responsibility to clarify evidence
Why doctors must speak up when high-profile claims conflict with training and data.

9:15 — ACOG’s stance on Tylenol during pregnancy
Explaining the disconnect between FDA messaging and clinical recommendations.

10:00 — ACOG resources for physicians and patients
How the college is pushing back on non-medical voices shaping care.

12:52 — Should physicians be on social media?
Why avoiding platforms like TikTok may be a mistake.

14:01 — Meeting patients where they are
Why misinformation is the competition — and how physicians can respond.

15:40 — Supporting physicians who speak online
Why practices may need to invest time and resources.

16:18 — A message for primary care physicians
Why reproductive health misinformation is increasingly landing in primary care.

17:24 — Partnering with OB-GYNs
Using collaboration and telemedicine to improve patient care.

19:25 — Vaccines in pregnancy
Why pregnancy changes the vaccine conversation.

19:52 — HPV vaccination reframed
Why it should be discussed as cancer prevention.

22:09 — Trust, burnout and persistence
Why physicians should remember patients still trust them — even when they say they don’t.

24:59 — Outro
Closing remarks and where to find more episodes.