Skip to main content

Low Frequency of Discipline Seen for Physician-Spread Misinformation

By Elana Gotkine HealthDay Reporter

Medically reviewed by Carmen Pope, BPharm. Last updated on Nov 15, 2024.

via HealthDay

FRIDAY, Nov. 15, 2024 -- The frequency of medical board discipline for physician-spread misinformation is low, according to a study published online Nov. 12 in JAMA Network Open.

Richard S. Saver, J.D., from the University of North Carolina School of Law in Chapel Hill, compared the level of professional discipline of physicians for spreading medical misinformation relative to discipline for other offenses in a cross-sectional study conducted in the five most populous U.S. states.

Saver found that spreading misinformation to the community was the least common reason for medical board discipline of physicians among 3,128 medical board disciplinary proceedings (0.1 percent of all identified offenses). Two reasons tied for third least common: patient-directed misinformation and inappropriate advertising or patient solicitation (both 0.3 percent). Relative to more common reasons for discipline such as physician negligence, problematic record keeping, and inappropriate prescribing (28.7, 14.9, and 13.5 percent, respectively), the frequency of misinformation conduct was exponentially lower. Compared with spreading misinformation to the community, patient-directed misinformation provided a basis for discipline three times more often. The frequency of disciplinary actions for any reasons related to COVID-19 care was also low (0.2 percent). In general, sanctions in misinformation actions were relatively light.

"The study results have serious policy implications, suggesting that the professional licensure system under current patient-centered frameworks may be institutionally ill-suited to combat the diffuse, intractable, and largely public health-related harms arising from physician-spread misinformation," Saver writes.

Abstract/Full Text

Editorial

Disclaimer: Statistical data in medical articles provide general trends and do not pertain to individuals. Individual factors can vary greatly. Always seek personalized medical advice for individual healthcare decisions.

© 2025 HealthDay. All rights reserved.

Read this next

Older Age, Lower Fitness Linked to Atrial Ectopic Burden

FRIDAY, Aug. 29, 2025 -- Age is a significant independent risk factor for atrial ectopic burden (AEB) and ventricular ectopic burden (VEB), according to a study presented at the...

Geriatric Assessment in the Emergency Department Reduces Admission Rates

FRIDAY, Aug. 29, 2025 -- A comprehensive assessment of older adults being seen in the emergency department can help reduce hospital admissions, according to a study published...

2010 to 2023 Saw Decline in Births, Increase in Deaths in the United States

FRIDAY, Aug. 29, 2025 -- From 2010 to 2023, the number of births in the United States declined, and the number of deaths increased, according to the Aug. 27 National Vital...

More news resources

Subscribe to our newsletter

Whatever your topic of interest, subscribe to our newsletters to get the best of Drugs.com in your inbox.