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Mary Katherine Wilson, Mark Woods, Trust in public health in a world of misinformation, American Journal of Health-System Pharmacy, Volume 82, Issue 8, 15 April 2025, Pages 490–493, https://doi.org/10.1093/ajhp/zxae356
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The 2023 American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP) Pharmacy Forecast article on regaining trust in public health highlighted the crisis we are experiencing in the public’s trust in healthcare and the alarming rise in medical misinformation.1 The causes of this crisis are many and include the pushing of unproven or ineffective treatments, the pursuit of profit motives or celebrity, and/or the promotion of political beliefs.2 Drivers of health such as racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic background are other important factors making it difficult to build trust with patients.3 This is not a new problem. Previous eras saw skepticism about the 1918 influenza epidemic, concerns about fluoridation of the water supply, and childhood vaccine hesitancy long before misinformation about coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccination and treatments came about.4 Increased connectivity afforded by information technology (IT) and tools such as social media, artificial intelligence (AI), and the conventional news media amplify misinformation and allow for viral spread. Misinformation misleads people and erodes trust.
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