Fighting Medical Misinformation and Disinformation

Misinformation

ACP is committed to stopping and preventing the spread of disinformation and misinformation, and vigorously supports the use of science and scientific expertise, based on the best available evidence. The College’s efforts range from weekly publishing of evidence-based scientific content, creating educational materials, issuing public statements, and collaborating with like-minded organizations.

Resources to Counter Medical Mis/Disinformation

ACP is working with a broad array of associations, boards and societies on several different initiatives to mitigate medical misinformation.

  • In light of the recent measles outbreak, both the Infectious Disease Society of America and John Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health have released resources discussing the importance of vaccination.
  • Public Health Communications Collaborative has created a collection of resources to help public health leaders deliver fact-driven, effective communications to their communities that make sense of the latest developments, answer tough questions, and bolster local public health outreach.
  • Developed by the Coalition for Trust in Health & Science, this messaging brief is the first in a series created to help health workers communicate about evidence-based, personally appropriate health decisions. A wallet-sized version is also available with the same information. 
  • The Disagreeing Better Toolkit for Clinicians and Care Teams is a free e-learning course designed to increase the value of interactions between clinicians and vaccine-hesitant patients. It can also be helpful to clinicians and care teams for any difficult conversations with patients. The toolkit was developed with funding from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and is housed on the CMSS Learning Center.

ACP Video Series

Two video series from ACP provide vaccine education and strategies to help combat health misinformation.

Ask Your Internal Medicine Physician

This patient-facing series features internal medicine physicians answering the public's top vaccine-related questions.

Watch the full series on YouTube

Physician to Physician Conversations

Clinician-facing series with practical approaches to address vaccine and health misinformation with patients.

Watch the full series on YouTube

Relevant Content from ACP

Additional Resources

ACP/Annals of Internal Medicine Virtual Forums

A series of virtual discussion forums for ACP members, covering important clinical and public health topics relevant to daily practice.

ACP’s COVID-19 Resource Center

Activated in April 2020, this resource hub provides information and comprehensive resources in the realms of clinical, public and ethical policy.

ACP Clinical Guidelines/Rapid Living Practice Points

Developed using the best available evidence to provide timely clinical advice, address key clinical questions, and help clinicians provide the best health care possible.