When health officials in China first reported a pneumonia of unknown cause in late 2019, misinformation spread so rapidly through social media and other channels that it outpaced the virus itself.
Apart from inducing panic and fear, false stories undermine trust in science and in the public health institutions we rely on to prepare for and implement effective responses to public health emergencies.
Academic institutions are an important partner in our nation’s response to SARS-CoV2 and the disease it causes, COVID-19. Higher education officials have helped lead the way by coordinating with their local and state health departments by reviewing and updating their emergency preparedness plans, and by making sometimes difficult decisions about operations and virtual learning based on the unique needs and circumstances of their students and faculty.
Now more than ever, it’s critical to heed the expert advice of the highly trained physicians and scientists at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the National Institutes of Health (NIH), and leading medical schools in overcoming this threat.
The medical and public health communities have critical roles to play during such emergencies—not only in diagnosing and treating patients but, just as importantly, as sources for timely, accurate, and evidence-based information in the face of fear, anxiety, misinformation, and stigma. The cooperation of the academic community has proved invaluable in advancing this mission.
Combating misinformation, whether it is spread unknowingly or with the intent to harm, is no easy task. Misinformation is rampant online and across social media, especially in times of heightened anxiety. We don’t necessarily need research to tell us that misinformation and false news spread much more quickly and wider on social media than the truth, but studies have drawn this conclusion.
Under these circumstances, containing misinformation about the novel coronavirus may rank second only to curbing the spread of COVID-19 itself. We recognize that fear is a natural human response to a public health threat about which so much remains unknown—and we also realize that fear can incapacitate us and inhibit an appropriate response.
Viruses simply don’t target specific populations, ethnicities, or racial groups. It is vitally important that physicians and other members of the health care community offer voices of reason and defend against the stigmatization of communities that are unfairly under scrutiny.
Public trust in organizations like the CDC, the NIH, and the World Health Organization (WHO), agencies that are leading the global response to COVID-19, is essential to containing global health threats. Under-mining public trust through misinformation, conflicting messages, and other methods cripples that response and exacerbates fear.
Public health agencies across the governmental public health enterprise—at the federal, state, and local levels—must work in a unified and coordinated fashion along with the health care system to boost preparedness and strengthen response efforts. So, too, must academic institutions. Flexible funding in public health is needed to address unexpected infectious disease outbreaks and build public health infrastructure at the state and local levels, with particular attention to medically underserved areas. As a nation, we must ensure that our response efforts do not reinforce existing health inequities.
At the AMA, we’re working in tandem with the CDC to ensure physicians have the timely and accurate information they need to allay their patients’ concerns.
In partnership with the CDC, the AMA has established a free COVID-19 resource center for physicians on our JN Learning website and on the AMA website that, among other objectives:
- Shares the latest developments in the spread and management of the disease.
- Reviews the epidemiologic and clinical characteristics of novel coronavirus infections.
- Details methods to protect providers from becoming infected, provides tips on educating patients.
- Reviews the lessons learned from prior coronavirus and influenza epidemics to respond to possible sustained transmission.
Accurate information that is rooted in science and evidence is the most powerful weapon we have in the battle against a health emergency. Patients will look to physicians and other members of the health care team to provide them with credible information, particularly in times of high anxiety and growing fear.
As a vital element of its mission to promote the art and science of medicine and improve the health of our nation, the AMA is committed to the dissemination of accurate, evidence-based information that minimizes the impact of a potential COVID-19 outbreak in the United States, and helps doctors, hospitals, and health officials mount an effective response.
Patrice A. Harris, MD, MA, is the president of the American Medical Association.
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