Perspectives in Primary Care: Disseminating Scientific Findings in an Era of Fake News and Science Denial

I feel it is important for physicians and researchers alike to stay up to date with modern sources of information and how to interact within them. Improving the way experts communicate data and findings should be very important in the advancement of useful and accurate medicine. Regardless of recent politics being a very well known example of using misinformation and emotion in getting an idea across, humanity has dealt with such things from the dawn of communication itself.

A few areas on this topic could do with some expansion. While it is imperative to get across a simple message regarding new data and studies, how can experts work to prevent misunderstandings or inaccurate interpretations of findings? Should we then spend more effort to explain what a study doesn't say, rather than what it does say? Another note is how to deal with entertaining ambiguity in messages to the public, who may not have the scientific background to navigate study findings and derive realistic ideas from it?

Competing interests: None declared