Health Misinformation Costs Lives, Surgeon General Warns

Preventing the spread of misinformation about COVID-19 is a matter of life and death, Surgeon General Vivek Murthy, MD, MBA, said Thursday.

“Health misinformation has cost us lives,” Murthy said at a White House press briefing. “While it often appears innocuous on social media apps, retail sites, or search engines, the truth is that misinformation takes away our freedom to make informed decisions about our health and the health of our loved ones. During the COVID 19 pandemic, health misinformation has led people to resist wearing masks in high-risk settings. It’s led them to turn down proven treatments and to choose not to get vaccinated.”

Murthy, who said he has lost 10 relatives to the coronavirus, issued a Surgeon General’s advisory on Thursday about misinformation. “Advisories are reserved for urgent public health threats. And while those threats have often been related to what we eat, drink, and smoke, today we live in a world where misinformation poses an imminent and insidious threat to our nation’s health,” he said.

The 22-page advisory includes recommendations for a variety of groups, including:

• Individuals, families, and communities. Learn how to identify and avoid sharing health misinformation, the advisory suggests. “When many of us share misinformation, we don’t do it intentionally: We are trying to inform others and don’t realize the information is false,” the document states. “Verify accuracy of information by checking with trustworthy and credible sources. If you’re not sure, don’t share.” The advisory suggests how to talk to family and friends who are spreading misinformation: “If someone you care about has a misperception, you might be able to make inroads with them by first seeking to understand instead of passing judgment. Try new ways of engaging: Listen with empathy, establish common ground, ask questions, provide alternative explanations and sources of information, stay calm, and don’t expect success from one conversation.” It also suggests working with schools and community groups such as houses of worship, parent-teacher associations, and healthcare providers to develop local strategies for combating misinformation, like having a healthcare professional give a talk at a school or church

• Health professionals and healthcare organizations. “Doctors, nurses, and other clinicians are highly trusted and can be effective in addressing health misinformation,” the advisory points out. “If you are a clinician, take the time to understand each patient’s knowledge, beliefs, and values. Listen with empathy, and when possible, correct misinformation in personalized ways. When addressing health concerns, consider using less technical language that is accessible to all patients.” The advisory also suggests using technology and media platforms to share information with the public, and having professional associations equip their members to serve as subject matter experts for journalists. “Organizations such as hospital systems can work with community members to develop localized public health messages, and associations and other health organizations should offer trainings for clinicians on how to address misinformation in ways that account for patients’ diverse needs, concerns, backgrounds, and experiences,” the document states

• Researchers and research institutions. Researchers and institutions who monitor for misinformation should focus on a broader range of content and platforms, as well as on information flow across platforms, such as image- and video-based content and content in multiple languages. “To address existing research limitations, expand data collection methods (e.g., recruit social media users to voluntarily share data),” the advisory continues. The document also urges more efforts to quantify the harmful effects of health misinformation. “How and under what conditions does misinformation affect beliefs, behaviors, and health outcomes? What is the role of emotion, cognition, and identity in causing misinformation to ‘stick’? What is the cost to society if misinformation is left unchecked?” The advisory urges researchers to invite community members to participate in the design of research

“In a moment like this when we see misinformation, literally, costing us our loved ones, costing us lives, all of us have to ask, how we can be more accountable and responsible for the information that we share?” Murthy said at the briefing. “The bottom line is all of us have an important role to play.”

He singled out tech companies, whose role he said was “particularly important”; the advisory asks them to strengthen monitoring of misinformation; prioritize early detection of misinformation “superspreaders”; and protect health professionals, journalists, and others from harassment.

“We know that the dramatic increase in the speed and scale in spreading misinformation has in part been enabled by these platforms, so that’s why in this advisory today, we are asking them to step up,” he said. “We know they have taken some steps to address misinformation, but much, much more has to be done, and we can’t wait longer for them to take aggressive action, because it’s costing people their lives.”

“When it comes to determining what is accurate in terms of health information, science has to guide us, and the good news is that we have credible science individuals in our country,” Murthy said. “The problem right now is that the voices of these professionals are getting drowned out, and that’s one of the reasons we are asking technology companies to help lift up the voices of credible health authorities. It’s also why they have to do more to reduce the misinformation that’s out there, so that the true voices of experts can shine through.”

Murthy was asked during a question-and-answer session whether misinformation was the reason people weren’t getting vaccinated.

“It’s one of several reasons why people are not getting vaccinated, but it’s a very important one, because what we know from polls is that two-thirds of people who are not vaccinated either believe common myths about the COVID-19 vaccine or think some of those myths might be true,” he said. “So we know that it’s not the only driver that’s leading people not to be vaccinated, but it is a very important one.”