A new survey from The Physicians Foundation said doctors are facing more patients influenced by medical falsehoods.
The survey found 61% of doctors said they encountered patients influenced by misinformation or disinformation a moderate amount or a great deal over the past year.
Nearly nine in 10 (86%) physicians felt that the incidence of medical misinformation and/or disinformation has increased compared to five years ago, with 50% saying it has increased significantly.
The survey found 57% of doctors believed medical misinformation affected their ability to provide quality care for their patients. Rural physicians were more likely than others to report no confidence in their patients knowing how to access evidence-based health information online, according to the survey.
Dr. Gary Price, president of The Physicians Foundation and a plastic surgeon, said to NBC News that encountering misinformation can be frustrating and demoralizing to doctors. He was concerned it could lead to more burnout in the profession.
"It cuts to the core of what motivates most physicians and that's a desire to help people in the most fundamental of ways," Price said. "And in a way, it's a repudiation of all the different things that lead people to practice medicine."
Price, a plastic surgeon, told NBC News that public health officials have a duty to be accurate.
"Public health officials, elected or not, have a fundamental obligation to make sure that the public gets information that's accurate and that can be trusted and … to continue to ensure that the entire system can be trusted," Price said.
The online survey of 1,002 physicians was conducted in May.
Sam Barron ✉
Sam Barron has almost two decades of experience covering a wide range of topics including politics, crime and business.
© 2025 Newsmax. All rights reserved.