Survey
Survey
The Erosion of Trust in American Health Care: How Health Misinformation Is Changing the Patient-Physician Relationship
A national survey of more than 1,000 physicians, conducted in collaboration with Medscape, finds that misinformation is influencing treatment decisions, straining the patient-physician relationship as physicians have less confidence in the time, tools and support available to address it.
What is Misinformation?
Misinformation is false or inaccurate information. Misinformation can shape how people understand health issues, evaluate medical guidance, or make decisions about their care.
Key Findings
The impact of misinformation is being felt in the exam room, where physicians report growing distrust, conflict, and challenges providing care.
- One in three physicians (34%) report very often or often experiencing a breakdown of trust with patients because of patient misinformation.
- 31% of physicians report very often or often experiencing increased conflict with patients during visits because of patient misinformation.
Addressing medical misinformation has become a routine part of medical care.
- Nearly every physician surveyed (99.9%) encountered patients influenced by misinformation in the past year.
- For most physicians, these encounters are not isolated. Seven in ten physicians (69%) say they encounter patients influenced by misinformation a moderate amount to a great deal of the time, up from 61% in 2025.
A Closer Look: Misinformation more prevalent among patients in rural areas.
78% of rural physicians report higher frequencies of encountering patients influenced by misinformation when seeking care compared to 67% of urban physicians and 69% of suburban physicians.
Social media, word of mouth, and influencers are the leading sources of patient misinformation.
Physicians report that misinformation reaches patients through a mix of digital platforms, personal networks, and traditional information sources.
85%
of physicians identified social media as very often or often contributing to patient misinformation.
74%
of physicians identified word of mouth as very often or often contributing to patient misinformation.
74%
of physicians identified influencers as very often or often contributing to patient misinformation.
Other commonly cited sources of misinformation include:
Social media stands apart: Nearly half of physicians (48%) identify social media as the single most significant source of patient misinformation.
- 43% of physicians have no confidence in their patients knowing how to access reliable, evidence-based health information online.
Misinformation is changing patient behavior and putting patients’ health at risk.
The consequences of health misinformation extend beyond what patients think about their healthcare. Physicians report that misinformation is increasingly affecting how patients act and feel.
49%
of physicians report very often or often experiencing medication and treatment nonadherence due to misinformation.
66%
of physicians report very often or often observing increased patient anxiety due to misinformation.
45%
of physicians report very often or often experiencing refusal of recommended treatment and care due to misinformation.
The impact of misinformation is contributing to unnecessary care and additional strain on the health care system.
- 65% of physicians feel medical misinformation has a significant impact on their ability to provide quality patient care, up from 57% of physicians in 2025.
A Closer Look: Problems posed by misinformation are more acute in primary care.
Seven in ten primary care physicians (70%) reported experiencing major/moderate levels of impact on their ability to provide care significantly higher than specialists (61%).
- Four in ten physicians (43%) report that misinformation very often or often contributes to unnecessary tests and procedures.
- One in three physicians (34%) report that misinformation very often or often contributes emergency room and urgent care overuse.
Physicians are being asked to counter misinformation without adequate time, tools or support.
- One third of physicians (34%) are not confident they have the necessary time to engage with patients who are skeptical about modern medicine and science.
- Three in four physicians (74%) are not confident they have the necessary tools and support to engage with patients who are skeptical about modern medicine, up from 63% in 2025.
About The Survey of America’s Physicians
The Survey of America’s Physicians, conducted annually by The Physicians Foundation in collaboration with Medscape, captures the perspectives of more than 1,000 practicing physicians nationwide on the issues shaping the practice of medicine and patient care. By tracking physician experiences and sentiment over time, the survey provides insight into the evolving health care landscape and identifies opportunities to strengthen physician practice and improve patient health outcomes.
