One of the biggest challenges faced by healthcare and public health during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has been misinformation. While this can be expected by the general public, what has been disturbing has been disinformation perpetuated by high-profile individuals within healthcare.
After reviewing the background materials and doing your own research, discuss the following:
- Choose a high-profile healthcare professional that has spread misinformation during the COVID-19 pandemic and provide an overview of their claims. You can choose one from the background readings or identify one from your own research.
- What specific ethical principles are violated when healthcare providers spread misinformation? Justify your response, linking the ethical principles to the practice of misinformation.
- Have there been any consequences for those healthcare providers who have spread misinformation? Have these consequences been adequate? Why or why not? Be sure to address ethical principles when considering the adequacy of the consequences.
- What have been and could be some of the impacts on society, healthcare professionals who are on the front line, and the health of the nation as a result of misinformation during a healthcare crisis, in this case, the COVID-19 pandemic? Consider the impact of the infamous (and now retracted) Wakefield et al study regarding the MMR vaccine in your answer
Expectations
- Conduct additional research to gather sufficient information to support your analysis.
- Limit your response to a maximum of 2 pages.
