The trend: US physicians are noticing an increase in patients who are influenced by medical misinformation and disinformation, according to a recent survey of over 1,000 doctors from The Physicians Foundation.

Unpacking the trend: 86% of doctors believe the prevalence of health misinformation and/or disinformation has increased in the last five years. Half of physicians cited a significant increase.

• 38% of rural physicians said they encounter a great deal of misinformation and/or disinformation from their patients.
• That’s higher than the number of urban (25%) or suburban doctors (21%) who report this.

Why it matters: Nearly 6 in 10 physicians in the survey think that patients are coming into visits with misleading health information, and it significantly affects their ability to deliver quality patient care.

For example, studies find a connection between the spread of vaccine misinformation and vaccine skepticism.

• This is likely more pronounced in rural communities, where fewer residents have gotten the COVID-19, HPV, or meningococcal conjugate vaccines, compared with people in urban or suburban areas, per data in the National Library of Medicine and from the CDC.
• Exposure to COVID-19 vaccine misinformation is directly correlated with vaccine hesitancy, according to a study published in the National Library of Medicine. The more exposure to different bits of misinformation (e.g., COVID-19 vaccines contain 5G microchips or alter people’s DNA), the less likely consumers were to be vaccinated, the study found.
• Parents who believe debunked claims about the MMR vaccine—such as causing autism in children—are over twice as likely to have delayed or skipped some recommended immunizations for their kids than parents who don’t believe the false information, per April 2025 KFF data.

Medical misinformation extends far beyond vaccines, particularly on digital channels like social media. For example, posts on social media that regularly go viral promote potentially damaging skin care routines, medical tests that aren’t appropriate for everyone, and unsafe wellness “hacks” like taping your mouth shut for better sleep. Younger consumers were found to be especially prone to heeding untrue health advice and acting on it.

• 58% of consumers aged 18-34 say they’ve regretted a health decision that was based on misinformation, per an April 2025 Edelman report.