Duke AHEAD Session on Vaccine Misinformation: Home

Meeting Patients Where They Are: Responding to Medical Misinformation Related to COVID Vaccines and Beyond

Gabriela Maradiaga Panayotti, MD; Nicholas Turner, MD; Megan von Isenburg, MSLS; Jamie Wood, PhD

COVID has highlighted the need to respond to medical misinformation in the home, community, clinic and learning environment. This session is designed to help clinicians at all levels learn to respond to medical misinformation, effectively communicate with vaccine-hesitant/resistant individuals, and model effective communication techniques for learners.

While it may be tempting to try to combat misinformation with information, that may make it harder to build trust, rapport, and conversation. Here are some strategies for handling encounters with medical misinformation:

• Actively listen
• Empathize
• Avoid shaming based on misinformation
• Lead with facts: don't repeat the myth, share what you know
• Acknowledge misinformation or misleading tactics - both unintentional and intentional
• Provide alternative correct information
• Use inclusive language
• Practice these skills with colleagues, friends, and family

(derived from the Duke Program on Medical Misinformation, the CDC's guidance on addressing COVID-19 Vaccine Misinformation, and the US Surgeon General's Health Misinformation Community Toolkit )