Among the many things that have changed over the past 2 years of the COVID-19 pandemic has been the general public’s growing interest in scientific information. On one hand this is a good thing; easy access and the ability to share accurate, timely information have helped educate the public to protect themselves. But on the other, this ease of information sharing has also led to the increased dissemination of misinformation that has become a prominent narrative in this modern pandemic.
The recent New England Journal of Medicine perspective by Richard Baron, American Board of Internal Medicine president and CEO, and Yul Ejnes, board chair, highlights an important debate that has emerged like another COVID-19 variant: What is the role and responsibility of the medical profession in responding to speech that has a detrimental impact on public health? In the piece, the authors note ABIM’s intent to apply its review process that could include revoking certification of physicians who spread false information; things that are clearly wrong and for which there is no evidence. That is the right thing to do.
The U.S. Surgeon General recently identified misinformation as a major public health threat. While it is difficult to estimate its impact related to COVID-19, it is inarguable to anyone who has spoken to hospitalized patients that misinformation regarding treatments, vaccines and other public health measures has resulted in excess deaths. One analysis, published in the...
On May 10, a Muslim man called Arif Khan was assaulted inside a hotel in Madhya Pradesh’s Bhopal. Khan was with a Hindu woman at the hotel when men reportedly linked to the Bajrang Dal entered the ...