Work

Effect and Reach of Medical Articles Posted on Preprint Servers During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Year: 2020

Type: article

Abstract: These findings underscore the need for more balanced news stories about medical therapies.If published, anecdotes should also provide counterbalance that conveys the expected outcomes for most patients.There is a need for both greater investment in organizations that assess news articles based on their scientific rigor and articles from trusted, nonpartisan organizations that underscore the strengths and limitations of technologies, including ECMO.Finally, raising awareness of unrealistic popular perceptions of interventions, as Fernando and colleagues 6 have done, may improve physician awareness of unrealistic media portrayals so they and their professional organizations can present scientifically accurate information at the bedside.Physicians without conflicts of interest should present nuanced evidence to the public through print-based opinion pieces, television news shows, peer-reviewed academic journals with patientdirected content (eg, JAMA and JAMA Internal Medicine Patient Pages), and social media.By partnering with the media to provide realistic insights into current evidence and expected outcomes, physicians can advocate for the best interest of patients.With medicine squared centrally in the public eye, now more than ever we must encourage the media to accurately portray medical therapies.Public trust depends on it.

Source: JAMA Internal Medicine

DOI: 10.1001/jamainternmed.2020.6629

Authors: Ye Eun (Grace) Jung, Yifei Sun, Neil W. Schluger

Institutions: Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Columbia University, New York Medical College

Language: English

Topic: Academic Publishing and Open Access

Subfield: Information Systems and Management

Field: Decision Sciences

Domain: Social Sciences

SDG: Good health and well-being

Open Access status: bronze

Funders: Greenwall Foundation, National Institutes of Health, National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute