Low Frequency of Discipline Seen for Physician-Spread Misinformation
By Elana Gotkine HealthDay Reporter
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.
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.
Posted November 2024
Read this next
Pulmonary Embolism More Common in Children Than Previously Thought
THURSDAY, May 22, 2025 -- Pulmonary embolism (PE) is more common in children than previously thought, according to a study presented at the American Thoracic Society 2025...
Half of Youth-Serving Clinicians Screen for Substance Use Disorder at Every Well Visit
THURSDAY, May 22, 2025 -- Just over half of youth-serving clinicians report that they routinely screen adolescents for substance use disorders (SUDs) at every well visit...
Many Heart Failure Patients Do Not See a Cardiologist Annually
THURSDAY, May 22, 2025 -- About 40 percent of patients with heart failure diagnosis do not see a cardiologist annually, according to a study published online May 18 in the...
More news resources
- FDA Medwatch Drug Alerts
- Daily MedNews
- News for Health Professionals
- New Drug Approvals
- New Drug Applications
- Drug Shortages
- Clinical Trial Results
- Generic Drug Approvals
Subscribe to our newsletter
Whatever your topic of interest, subscribe to our newsletters to get the best of Drugs.com in your inbox.