Almost three in four physicians said medical misinformation hindered their ability to treat COVID-19 patients and hurt outcomes. The Morning Consult/de Beaumont Foundation poll found that both physicians and the American public agree that misinformation is a problem and that doctors should be held accountable for intentionally spreading false information – a sentiment that most physicians also agreed with.
The poll found that 72% of physicians said misinformation made it harder to treat patients for COVID and the same percentage said it hurt patient outcomes. Almost half (44%) of physicians estimate that more than half the COVID information they see, read, and hear from patients is misinformation.
In addition to misinformation about COVID-19, more than two-thirds of physicians said misinformation is also a problem in the areas of weight loss, dietary supplements, mental health, and other vaccines.