FDA commissioner urges doctors to join fight against medical misinformation

Califf warned that patients today are trapped in a “sea of ​​misinformation without a compass.” Without careful intervention from trusted physicians, he added, this environment can lead to patients making poor health decisions.

Since 2021, most deaths of hospitalized COVID patients have occurred among patients who chose not to be vaccinated, based largely on bad information online.

“The suspicion about vaccinations is of course very high and has taken its toll. Over 350,000 Americans have most likely died from COVID who would not have died if they had simply received a free vaccination,” Califf said.

Poor or incorrect health information online has also led to a growing general distrust of science and medicine. He said doctors can help combat this by simply teaching patients basic things like changing risk factors, exercising and taking prescribed medications.

FDA commissioner urges doctors to get involved in their communities

Califf's message to physicians is clear: the trusted voices of healthcare providers have the potential to offset harmful misinformation, especially in direct patient interactions.

“During the 15 or 30 minutes you spend with a patient, you are the most trusted voice they will encounter,” he said.

Some of the distrust of medicine in recent years may be due in part to the fact that doctors spend a lot of time during patient consultations concentrating on a computer screen entering data into the electronic medical record rather than looking at or directly with the patient to speak.

According to Califf, there is great potential for artificial intelligence (AI) to assist clinicians by reducing documentation time and potentially giving them more time to engage patients directly while the AI ​​acts as a clinical scribe during the encounter. Califf expressed optimism that AI could one day ease the pressure of large administrative tasks, but warned of financial pressures that could force doctors to increase patient volumes at the expense of quality care.

“This technology could emancipate the clinician and give them the freedom to interact with people. I think that’s why most of us chose medicine and that’s what people really hope for,” Califf explained.

He also urged doctors to not only focus on their patients, but also to serve as a knowledgeable resource in community spaces such as churches and schools. He said being a resource for the community where people know the doctor can go a long way toward combating misinformation.

Beyond individual interactions, Califf sees a role for the health profession as a whole in promoting scientific expertise and regaining public trust in medical knowledge.

“If you ask the public, the best way to combat misinformation is through direct human interaction. The problem is that spreaders of misinformation can reach billions of people in just a minute. “You've heard the old saying from Mark Twain that a lie gets halfway around the world before the truth gets out of bed in the morning,” he said.

Mistrust of medicine is partly leading to lower life expectancy in the United States

Califf said America currently has one of the lowest life expectancies among high-income countries worldwide, a phenomenon he attributes in part to widespread health misinformation and the country's individualistic culture. He believes this is an opportune time for doctors to emphasize the importance of expertise and evidence-based advice.

He acknowledged that federal agencies like the FDA face limitations in combating misinformation due to legal and procedural limitations, limiting their ability to mount effective counter-campaigns against medical misinformation. “We cannot win this fight. “We are, so to speak, outgunned,” he said of the restrictions.

He contrasted the dry, technical language often required in official FDA statements with the engaging images of memes, compelling storytelling, emotional videos and other eye-catching techniques favored by misinformation purveyors on social media.

“If you want to grab people's attention, don't do it in a document with technical and dry language. The way to reach people is through emotional images, images and stories. At the FDA we are very limited, but the “The profession of medicine is not limited and I think it can make a big difference,” Califf said.