Dr. Linda Girgis shares expert advice for healthcare professionals regarding fighting misinformation patients may receive and believe.

Lately, it seems like the world has gone mad. People with steady government jobs are being laid off or fired. Those with no expertise are given high-ranking government positions. For those of us in healthcare, it is particularly disturbing that the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is now headed by a well-known anti-vaxxer, RFK Jr, who subscribes to many medical conspiracy theories. At the same time, Elon Musk is decimating the CDC and FDA, institutes to which we have turned for decades for information and public safety.

While we may have no control over what happens at the upper levels of our government, except by voting or political advocacy, we oversee what happens in our exam and hospital rooms. We know very well what the science says and what is the medical consensus of our time. We should not veer off into the insanity others may accept as the new norm.

How can we fight misinformation?

• Education. We need to give our patients accurate medical information, whether it agrees with our political leaders or not. Our patients trust us with their lives and we took an oath to do our best for them. We also need to keep the community aware of sound medicine by speaking at local events or writing articles. Political doctrine has no place on the exam table. We also need to educate ourselves on the latest scientific updates.
• Advocacy. Not all of us have time to travel to Washington, DC, to meet with our elected officials. However, we can support those who do. Sign petitions, offer encouragement, and call your local representatives. No change in medical consensus should be decided by lawyers.
• Listen. Patients have likely heard a great deal of misinformation outside of your exam room. Pay attention to what they’ve heard. You can’t combat misinformation if you don’t know what is being said.
• Be empathetic. Patients believe misinformation for a variety of reasons. They may have an uncle who is a rabid anti-vaxxer or a best friend who believes she developed breast cancer from drinking water. Try to understand why they believe the misinformation, then respond with explanations that are scientifically sound and convincing.
• Don’t ridicule. Some of the misinformation out there is ridiculous, but those spreading it can be very convincing and manipulative. Don’t ridicule patients for falling under their sway.  Unfortunately, there are doctors and other healthcare workers spouting untruths, and it can be hard for patients to differentiate which doctors are sharing scientific truths and which are not.
• Know references. These days, patients get much of their information online, especially through social media. We can help combat this misinformation by referring our patients to alternative online sources we’ve researched and which we trust to provide credible information.
• Don’t be afraid to say, “I don’t know.” Some patients arrive with a list of dietary supplements they’re taking. They may ask if the supplements are safe or if they work for a certain condition. If you don’t know the answer, you can tell the patient you will look into it and provide them with an answer at a later point. Since the FDA doesn’t approve dietary supplements for safety and effectiveness, you can also say, “I don’t know, and no one else does either because there are no good scientific studies done on them.”

While many people are currently afraid of the madness happening around the world with wars, tariffs, and job losses, science hasn’t changed, and nobody can say otherwise without doing a proper research investigation. Medical consensus does not change based on the say-so of one individual believing false information and flawed studies. We trained for medicine and have been challenged many times over our careers. This is just another one of those challenges. We need to stand strong and stick to our principles for our patients’ sakes as well as our own.