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Media and Medicine

Physicians writing on KevinMD about how the news covers medicine: bad science in headlines, misinformation and how to answer it, television doctors and the physician as influencer, drug stigma in photographs, and what it costs a patient when a story gets it wrong. Most of the archive dates from 2008 to 2016, when medical journalism was a daily argument on the site; the recent posts are about misinformation and reputation.

Tech

AI hallucinations can invent what colleagues think of you

As physicians, we are increasingly told that artificial intelligence will summarize our work, amplify our ideas, and help readers understand complex issues. But what happens when AI begins describing not what we have said, but what it imagines others think…

As physicians, we are increasingly told that artificial intelligence will summarize our work, amplify our ideas, and help readers understand complex issues. But what happens when AI begins describing not what we have said, but what it imagines others think about us?

I recently conducted an informal experiment that exposed a troubling tendency in generative AI. After sharing excerpts from my manuscript The Autopsy, I asked Google’s Gemini a straightforward question: …

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AI hallucinations can invent what colleagues think of you

Physicians

Direct-to-consumer drug ads sell lifestyle, not physiology

Direct-to-consumer drug advertising has changed dramatically over the past decade. What began as cautious messaging about serious medications has evolved into lifestyle marketing: smiling actors, golden retrievers, and promises of freedom, energy, and "getting back to what matters." The problem…

Direct-to-consumer drug advertising has changed dramatically over the past decade. What began as cautious messaging about serious medications has evolved into lifestyle marketing: smiling actors, golden retrievers, and promises of freedom, energy, and “getting back to what matters.”

The problem is simple. Many of these drugs are not lifestyle enhancers. They are immune-altering, metabolic-altering, or infection-risk-altering agents. And the public is not hearing the truth.

As a developmental-behavioral pediatrician, I spent decades …

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Direct-to-consumer drug ads sell lifestyle, not physiology

Physicians

Why antipsychotics for depression need physician oversight

Atypical antipsychotics have quietly migrated from inpatient psychiatry to primary care offices, urgent care clinics, and telemedicine platforms staffed increasingly by nurse practitioners and advanced practice registered nurses (APRNs). The drugs have not changed. Their risks have not changed. What…

Atypical antipsychotics have quietly migrated from inpatient psychiatry to primary care offices, urgent care clinics, and telemedicine platforms staffed increasingly by nurse practitioners and advanced practice registered nurses (APRNs). The drugs have not changed. Their risks have not changed. What has changed is who is prescribing them, and how casually they are being marketed to the public. These medications were designed for psychosis, bipolar disorder, and acute agitation. They now …

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Why antipsychotics for depression need physician oversight

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Physicians

Why do charity commercials leave clinicians uneasy?

Every night on mainstream streaming platforms, I see the same rotation of charity commercials: protect dogs, save Syrian children, shelter American runaways, support childhood cancer care, preserve wildlife. Each one asks for a small monthly donation (99 cents, $5, $19),…

Every night on mainstream streaming platforms, I see the same rotation of charity commercials: protect dogs, save Syrian children, shelter American runaways, support childhood cancer care, preserve wildlife. Each one asks for a small monthly donation (99 cents, $5, $19), and each one insists that without your contribution, the suffering continues.

As a physician, I don’t respond to the emotional script. I respond to the ethical one. And the ethical script …

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Why do charity commercials leave clinicians uneasy?

Physicians

The one-dimensional doctor is going extinct

I was recently watching the wedding and honeymoon vlog of one of my favorite content creators. Weddings are fascinating milestones. It is probably the only moment in your entire life where you get absolutely every person you love gathered together…

I was recently watching the wedding and honeymoon vlog of one of my favorite content creators. Weddings are fascinating milestones. It is probably the only moment in your entire life where you get absolutely every person you love gathered together in one single room. You are the undisputed center of attention. All eyes are on you, and the atmosphere is pure, concentrated love.

But as I was watching those perfect moments …

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The one-dimensional doctor is going extinct

Social media

Why real medical experts must become medical influencers

We live in a world of over 5 billion global internet users, all connected in ways we have never seen before. We get to see the most secretive parts of people's private lives: their morning routines, their shower routines, and…

We live in a world of over 5 billion global internet users, all connected in ways we have never seen before. We get to see the most secretive parts of people’s private lives: their morning routines, their shower routines, and their “Day in the Life” vlogs.

Yet, for decades, the daily work of a doctor remained a hidden mystery, at least to anyone outside the medical world. It wasn’t like a …

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Why real medical experts must become medical influencers

Conditions

5 principles for protecting physician reputation

Health care workers understand the power of a record. One sentence in a medical chart can follow a patient for years. A diagnosis, a risk label, or a preliminary impression may shape how future clinicians see that person. That is…

Health care workers understand the power of a record.

One sentence in a medical chart can follow a patient for years. A diagnosis, a risk label, or a preliminary impression may shape how future clinicians see that person. That is why we are taught to document carefully, update records when new information appears, and avoid turning uncertainty into a permanent label.

Public institutions should follow the same principle. When a state medical …

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5 principles for protecting physician reputation

Conditions

How to spot bad science in medical news

We often see media headlines or articles about scientific and medical advancements promising imminent treatments or cures. I am not referring to advertisements that frequently masquerade as stories for naturopathic, homeopathic, or other unproven remedies, but rather those from supposedly…

We often see media headlines or articles about scientific and medical advancements promising imminent treatments or cures. I am not referring to advertisements that frequently masquerade as stories for naturopathic, homeopathic, or other unproven remedies, but rather those from supposedly reliable sources, such as CBS, Yahoo, or the Chicago Tribune.

Reporters or news writers often compose them, despite lacking training in science or medical reporting. They frequently make inappropriate assumptions and …

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How to spot bad science in medical news

Physicians

How photos shape drug stigma—and what we can do about it

Well before I was a physician, I was an art history major at Bowdoin College. Beneath towering pine trees, I spent much of my time in dim lecture rooms off the quad and in the quiet galleries of Maine's art…

Well before I was a physician, I was an art history major at Bowdoin College. Beneath towering pine trees, I spent much of my time in dim lecture rooms off the quad and in the quiet galleries of Maine’s art museums, studying paintings, sculptures, and photographs to understand not just what was being portrayed, but also what they revealed about the people, places, ideas, and defining events of their time. …

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How photos shape drug stigma—and what we can do about it

Policy

How fake news about transgender mice is hurting real patients

Poisoned puppies, rats on cocaine, transgender mice: these might sound like the beginning of a bizarre joke, but they're at the center of growing political attacks on medical and scientific research. Senator Ted Cruz calls it the "woke nonsense" of…

Poisoned puppies, rats on cocaine, transgender mice: these might sound like the beginning of a bizarre joke, but they’re at the center of growing political attacks on medical and scientific research. Senator Ted Cruz calls it the “woke nonsense” of the Biden administration’s “far-left ideology,” and Donald Trump has amplified the message, using a primetime congressional address to claim researchers are attempting to turn mice transgender. In a House committee …

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How fake news about transgender mice is hurting real patients

Social media

How DrKoop.com rose and fell: the untold story behind the Surgeon General’s startup

An excerpt from Dr. Koop: The Many Lives of the Surgeon General. "I've had two major messages that I've tried to get out to the public all my professional life," Koop proclaimed. "One is to take charge of your own…

An excerpt from Dr. Koop: The Many Lives of the Surgeon General.

“I’ve had two major messages that I’ve tried to get out to the public all my professional life,” Koop proclaimed. “One is to take charge of your own health. The other is that there is no prescription I can give you that is more valuable than knowledge … I’ve tried the non-profit world, …

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How DrKoop.com rose and fell: the untold story behind the Surgeon General’s startup

Physicians

How physicians can fix media bias with science

The assassination attempt is the straw that breaks the camel's back. The "gaslighting" is over. The rules for truth by legacy media are never examined for objectivity. We do not have the Inquisition in the United States; we have the…

The assassination attempt is the straw that breaks the camel’s back. The “gaslighting” is over. The rules for truth by legacy media are never examined for objectivity. We do not have the Inquisition in the United States; we have the legacy media.

One “fact-checker” measures truth by “Pinocchios.” There is a better way—hypothesis testing. Who better to know about hypothesis testing than a physician?

What if the facts about how Medicare is …

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How physicians can fix media bias with science

Conditions

Medical misinformation: How to find clarity in a sea of contradictory advice

I read an array of medical literature, both technical and public. But despite my education, experience, and reasonable intelligence, I find myself bewildered by the overwhelming deluge of information and recommendations: frequently contradictory, at times inaccurate, and often meaningless, that…

I read an array of medical literature, both technical and public. But despite my education, experience, and reasonable intelligence, I find myself bewildered by the overwhelming deluge of information and recommendations: frequently contradictory, at times inaccurate, and often meaningless, that presently inundates individuals. If I can be befuddled, what about the average person with a high school diploma or a bachelor’s degree and little medical experience?

Perhaps there is so much …

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Medical misinformation: How to find clarity in a sea of contradictory advice

Physicians

TV medical school: where doctors don’t need nurses and bullets heal themselves

Clearly, four years of college, four years of medical school, and three years of pediatric residency weren't a complete medical education. There are so many things I didn't know until I started watching action-packed TV shows, especially the ones with…

Clearly, four years of college, four years of medical school, and three years of pediatric residency weren’t a complete medical education. There are so many things I didn’t know until I started watching action-packed TV shows, especially the ones with SWAT teams, detectives, and lots of blood.

My training was clearly deficient in neck jabbing. You know, when the bad guys sneak up on the good guy, jab him randomly in …

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TV medical school: where doctors don’t need nurses and bullets heal themselves

Physicians

Princess and the pauper: Both deserve health privacy

The sad news of Princess Kate Middleton's cancer diagnosis is a sound reminder of the sanctity of a person's health status and their right to privacy. I wasn't sure which adjective I should use to describe Kate's diagnosis – "sad,"…

The sad news of Princess Kate Middleton’s cancer diagnosis is a sound reminder of the sanctity of a person’s health status and their right to privacy.

I wasn’t sure which adjective I should use to describe Kate’s diagnosis – “sad,” “tragic,” or “devastating.” All are equally true, depending on whose perspective you consider. No doubt a cancer diagnosis is “sad” in the public’s eyes and even harsher in Kate’s. In my …

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Princess and the pauper: Both deserve health privacy

Physicians

How Barbie exposes sexism in medicine

A scene in the movie Barbie is all too familiar to female physicians. Ken asks a female physician, "Can I talk to a doctor?" and she replies, "You are talking to a doctor." He ignores her, then requests her assistance…

A scene in the movie Barbie is all too familiar to female physicians. Ken asks a female physician, “Can I talk to a doctor?” and she replies, “You are talking to a doctor.” He ignores her, then requests her assistance with various menial tasks (“Can you get me a coffee … I need a clicky pen”) before abruptly walking off in the direction of two short-haired, presumably male medical professionals, …

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How Barbie exposes sexism in medicine

Policy

Health misinformation’s deadly impact

Turning into vegetarians can cure COVID-19, birth control pills cause abortions, or eating ginger is 10,000 times more effective than chemotherapy at curing cancer were some casually trending health misinformation in the past year. But what is health misinformation, and…

Turning into vegetarians can cure COVID-19, birth control pills cause abortions, or eating ginger is 10,000 times more effective than chemotherapy at curing cancer were some casually trending health misinformation in the past year. But what is health misinformation, and why is it a serious public health concern?

Health misinformation refers to health-related information that is false, unverified, and lacking scientific evidence. It poses a significant threat to public health as …

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Health misinformation’s deadly impact

Physicians

Why are doctors sued and politicians aren’t?

During the COVID pandemic health care workers needed to work tirelessly to correct the false information that politicians easily spread through the country. The President made claims that the virus was not real, that physicians were getting financial kickbacks from…

During the COVID pandemic health care workers needed to work tirelessly to correct the false information that politicians easily spread through the country. The President made claims that the virus was not real, that physicians were getting financial kickbacks from using COVID on death certificates, and that health care workers were benefiting from the pandemic. Physicians, nurses, and staff needed to talk to patients about COVID, and it really took …

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Why are doctors sued and politicians aren’t?

Physicians

Being an influencer has the potential to be destructive: a physician’s cautionary story

An excerpt from Influenced: The Impact of Social Media on Our Perception. During the COVID shutdowns, my medical practice—like that of most doctors—dramatically slowed down, giving me a lot of unaccustomed downtime. One day, my twin daughters approached me and…

An excerpt from Influenced: The Impact of Social Media on Our Perception.

During the COVID shutdowns, my medical practice—like that of most doctors—dramatically slowed down, giving me a lot of unaccustomed downtime. One day, my twin daughters approached me and urged, “Dad, there are some really good doctors on TikTok. You should be one.””

To my surprise, I found that the notion intrigued me. In addition to being open to finding …

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Being an influencer has the potential to be destructive: a physician’s cautionary story

Podcast

Health care communications during the pandemic era [PODCAST]

"At the interpersonal level, people can help to normalize vaccination as the standard among their friends and family–not by lecturing or hectoring, simply by openly sharing that they themselves are vaccinated. Health care providers also have a role to play…

Listen on Apple Podcasts · Spotify

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“At the interpersonal level, people can help to normalize vaccination as the standard among their friends and family–not by lecturing or hectoring, simply by openly sharing that they themselves are vaccinated. Health care providers also have a role to play in de-sensationalizing the issue and making discussions about COVID vaccination a more routine …

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Health care communications during the pandemic era [PODCAST]

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