New Study Shows Medical Misinformation Affects Patient Care

A new survey finds that medical misinformation is on the rise — both online and inside medical exam rooms.

According to the Physicians Foundation, a nonprofit research group, 61 percent of doctors said they encountered patients influenced by misinformation or disinformation over the past year.

An even larger majority — about 86 percent — reported seeing more misinformation among patients over the past five years compared to earlier years. That timeframe includes much of the COVID-19 pandemic, with half of physicians saying falsehoods around medicine increased significantly. The survey also found that 57 percent of doctors believe misinformation and disinformation have at least a moderate impact on their ability to provide quality care. The online poll, conducted in May, surveyed more than 1,000 physicians representing a cross-section of the medical profession. It did not ask about specific types of misinformation.