Medical Misinformation Threatens U.S. Healthcare System as Patient Trust Erodes

Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has implemented sweeping changes across federal healthcare, including staff reductions, research funding cuts, and replacements on the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices. Kennedy continues to entertain claims questioning vaccine safety, common medications like acetaminophen, and water fluoridation practices.

In examination rooms across America, physicians report growing concerns as medical misinformation—inaccurate health information—and disinformation—deliberately spread falsehoods—increasingly influence patient inquiries and health decisions for themselves and family members.

“Grim, is how I would describe it,” said Paul A. Offit, MD, director of the Vaccine Education Center at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. “I think science is under attack, I think science is losing its place as a source of truth. People are simply declaring their own truths, including people in prominent positions of leadership.”

This growing skepticism toward medicine isn’t new. The current wave of medical distrust can be traced back to a now-retracted 1998 study in The Lancet that falsely linked the MMR vaccine to autism. Led by Andrew Wakefield, who later lost his medical license in the UK, the paper’s impact continues to reverberate throughout healthcare.

“Unfortunately, what we saw was decreased MMR vaccine uptake that hit especially hard the UK and parts of Europe,” explained David Higgins, MD, MPH, MS, pediatrician and assistant professor at University of Colorado Anschutz Health. “It’s a really good example of how a falsehood, and in this case, a fraudulent falsehood, takes hold and perpetuates now decades later.”

Several healthcare crises have since intensified this environment of distrust: the contentious debate surrounding the Affordable Care Act of 2010, the COVID-19 pandemic, and the Supreme Court’s 2022 Dobbs decision returning abortion regulation to states.

Now in 2025, Kennedy serves as a top adviser to President Donald Trump, leading the “Make America Healthy Again” initiative. While the administration has received praise for reforming prior authorization processes and making prescription drugs more affordable, their broader healthcare policies have faced significant criticism from medical professionals.

The information landscape has transformed dramatically over three decades. What began as 24-hour cable news in the 1990s has evolved into constant content consumption on personal devices, with medical and healthcare policy developments often triggering intense political reactions.

“It’s a lot more complicated to be a patient than it was 20, 30, 40 years ago, before the invention of the internet,” said Colleen Denny, MD, FACOG, chief ethics officer for the American College of Obstetrics & Gynecology. She notes that while patients now have more access to information, they lack clear ways to assess its quality and influences.

The statistics paint a concerning picture. In a survey by medical liability company The Doctors Company, 64% of physicians identified social media misinformation as their top challenge in practicing medicine. The Physicians Foundation found 86% of doctors believe medical misinformation has increased in the last five years, with 57% reporting it significantly affects their ability to deliver quality care. A recent Medical Economics poll revealed over 71% of physicians say their patients are more skeptical about vaccine safety, with 95% raising concerns during immunization appointments.

The controversy surrounding Tylenol (acetaminophen) use during pregnancy illustrates the current information dilemma. After the White House publicized Mount Sinai and Harvard research suggesting increased autism risk with prenatal acetaminophen use, ACOG countered with a practice advisory reaffirming the medication “remains the analgesic and antipyretic of choice during pregnancy.” This split in expert opinion leaves both doctors and patients confused about best practices.

Despite these challenges, physicians remain among the most trusted professionals in America according to the 2025 Gallup poll on job credibility, though their rating has declined in recent years.

“In general, there’s still a great deal of trust that patients place in physicians,” said John J. Kalata, DO, MS, FACOFP, family physician and second vice president of the American Osteopathic Association. “There is a bit of erosion in science and in medicine, particularly, and I think it has to do with a lot of information that’s out there. Patients are inundated with information, and it’s very hard for them to sift through fact from myth.”

Physicians recommend several approaches when addressing misinformation with patients. Rather than assuming hesitancy, doctors should project confidence while remaining open to questions. The “truth sandwich” technique—beginning and ending with facts while addressing myths in between—proves particularly effective.

Looking forward, medical educators recognize the need for formalized training in communication techniques. “I think we’ve fallen behind in understanding how many of our patients are getting their information and what leads them to trust a source,” said Gary Price, MD, MBA, president of The Physicians Foundation.

Some physicians advocate taking their message directly to social media platforms where misinformation thrives. “Historically, especially in academic medicine, we’ve sniffed at this form of communication with patients,” Denny noted. “We call people TikTok doctors, or if people have cute little videos on Instagram, there’s a sense that that’s not really doctoring.”

For those not ready to create digital content, community outreach through schools, faith communities, and libraries offers an alternative approach. “For clinicians who are also parents, connecting with PTAs, youth sports leagues, and after-school programs is a natural way to build relationships and make science and health accessible in everyday spaces,” Higgins said.

As the battle against medical misinformation continues, physicians face the challenge of maintaining trust in an increasingly fragmented information landscape while upholding their commitment to evidence-based care.