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Physician judgment of patients who express inaccurate or misguided medical beliefs can undermine the patient-physician relationship, according to research.

Many patients hesitate to share thoughts, feelings, or even general information with their physicians out of fear of being judged. Research from Stevens Institute of Technology validates this concern, showing that physicians do indeed judge patients who express inaccurate or misguided medical beliefs. This perceived or actual judgment can undermine the patient-physician relationship, discouraging full disclosure regarding symptoms and lifestyle choices. and complicating accurate diagnosis, treatment planning, and patient education.

Physicians Show Harsh Bias Toward Medical Misinformation

Lead researcher Samantha Kleinberg, MD, pointed out that patient anxiety regarding the concern that physicians will look down on them is justified, noting that her study demonstrated harsh judgment cast by doctors who disagreed with either patients’ beliefs or shared information. 

In the study, Dr. Kleinberg and colleagues surveyed more than 350 patients and 200 physicians, asking them to assess people who held a range of medical beliefs—from factually inaccurate to blatantly conspiratorial. While some incorrect beliefs were relatively benign, such as the common but mistaken notion that eating sugar causes diabetes, others were more extreme—such as the claim that drinking carrot juice can cure the disease. Alarmingly, nearly half of the patient respondents expressed beliefs rooted in conspiracy theories, including the false idea that pharmaceutical companies intentionally induce diabetes to increase insulin sales.

Co-author Onur Asan, MD, noted that the team was stunned by the level at which physicians negatively viewed misinformed patients, adding, “…doctors may need additional support and resources to effectively treat such patients.” 

Not surprisingly, added Dr. Kleinberg, the negativity with which physicians viewed patients is directly related to the degree to which patients expressed unreasonable medical beliefs. In other words, physicians view patients who express unreasonable or conspiratorial beliefs with more extreme negativity than they do with patients who are simply misinformed or have inaccurate information.

A Call for Compassionate, Judgment-Free Dialogue

The study also revealed surprisingly little difference between the negative responses of physicians and laypeople toward patients with misinformed views. Even individuals managing the same chronic health conditions displayed significant intolerance toward others who held inaccurate beliefs about shared conditions.

Dr. Kleinberg called this result “depressing,” stressing that even patients with similar lived experiences judged one another harshly.

“Laypeople aren’t expected to have medical expertise, so doctors often have to correct mistaken beliefs on health issues. That shouldn’t be something that leads doctors to view patients more negatively,” she emphasized. “If we want to have clear communication between patients and healthcare professionals, we need to change the way that doctors think about patients who are misinformed.”