The American Medical Association on Nov. 15 adopted a policy to combat health disinformation disseminated by healthcare professionals.
Under the new policy, the AMA will work with health professional societies to tackle disinformation spread by healthcare professionals across all forms of media, according to a news release shared with Becker's. The organization will also study the effect disinformation disseminated by health professionals has on public health so it can better design a strategy to prevent it.
"Physicians are among the most trusted source of information and advice for patients and the public at large, which is why it’s so dangerous when a physician or other healthcare professional spreads disinformation,” AMA board member Jesse Ehrenfeld, MD, said in the release. " We are committed to doing everything we can to stop the spread of disinformation and providing accurate, evidence-based information — the lives of our patients and the public depend on it."