Identifying salient factors that influence physician practices in mitigating patient misinformation

Project Summary/Abstract Medical misinformation is a global health problem with 73% of US adults having been exposed to false health information and 87% expressing concern about it. Health misinformation can hijack a patient’s typical discernment faculties and can lead to poor health outcomes. Evidence shows that elderly patients are disproportionately affected by health misinformation and are more likely to believe and spread misinformation, and suffer negative consequences. Engaging physicians has been touted as a promising and plausible means to mitigate misinformation because they are highly trusted, routinely provide reliable medical information, and are effective at influencing sustainable behavior change. Yet there is virtually no empirical data about physician misinformation corrective practices. Physician practices to correct patient misinformation is likely to depend on their political and religious beliefs as seen in other health areas, familiarity with the topic, correction and communication skills, self-efficacy, and environmental (e.g., time) and interpersonal factors (e.g., exhaustion). Prior to developing scalable and evidence-based physician communication interventions, a rich assessment of factors that facilitate or impede physician corrective practices is needed. We use a mixed-methods approach to identify factors and the strength of association among barriers/facilitators and physician willingness to correct misinformation through three specific aims using two divergent cases: unproven stem cell therapies and Covid- 19 vaccination. In Aim 1, we will interview primary care physicians to assess knowledge, experience, attitudes, and beliefs about correcting misinformation. In Aim 2, we will create a novel Determinants of Willingness to Correct Misinformation (DWCM) measure based on Aim 1 qualitative data, expert review, cognitive interviews, and psychometrically evaluate dimensionality and internal consistency. A national survey of physicians using the validated DWCM instrument will be conducted to measure determinants that impact physician corrective practices and attitudes towards adopting a priori correction strategies in their practice. In Aim 3, we will conduct online asynchronous focus groups with elderly patients across the US to assess receptivity towards corrective information from physicians, communication comprehension, channel preferences, and affect towards receiving corrective information and the use of specific terminology. Upon completing this research, we will have (i) identified major factors and their association with physician misinformation corrective practices and their attitudes towards adopting corrective strategies; (ii) created a valid DWCM climate instrument that can be deployed in different health care environments; (iii) offered data into patient receptivity towards receiving corrective information from physicians, including modes of exchange and appropriate language, and (iv) be well-positioned to develop and test the efficacy of a misinformation correction toolkit for physicians in future research.