NBOME Partners with Leading Health, Science Orgs to Combat Health Misinformation
September 5, 2023
In March 2023, the NBOME joined more than 50 leading national health, science, and policy organizations to launch the Coalition for Trust in Health & Science (the Coalition), aimed at combating misinformation and helping Americans make appropriate science-based health decisions for themselves, their families, and their communities.
“Patient safety is a core value for NBOME and at the heart of our mission, and being part of this organization reflects another way that we put this value into action,” said NBOME Board Chair Richard LaBaere II, DO, MPH.
Health misinformation is not a new phenomenon; a study published in 2018 in the journal Science found that false news stories were 70 percent more likely to be shared on social media than true stories. But, rapidly changing information at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic combined with the continued evolution of social media has only exacerbated the issue.
Since its formation, the Coalition has been developing a compendium of activities and research for its members on how to best fight misinformation and disinformation. The Coalition Compendium will be an important tool for connecting and sharing information; members contribute information about major initiatives designed to earn the public’s trust in health care, public health, and science.
A “living library,” the Compendium will provide: a repository of member initiatives that advance the Coalition’s goals; resources that can facilitate and accelerate the accomplishment of these initiatives; and summaries of relevant research findings in the areas of trust, misinformation, disinformation, mistrust, and distrust. Essentially, the Compendium can help define a set of principles and attributes of what trusted sources of health information are.
John R. Gimpel, DO, MEd, president and CEO of the NBOME, has participated in several Coalition meetings. Some of the topics discussed included the development of the Compendium, methods in which to submit resources, and an upcoming research forum in November.
“The NBOME and the Coalition are both committed to protecting the public. We do that through assessments that serve key roles in quality assurance for osteopathic medicine and related health care professions, and the Coalition aims to set a standard for determining legitimate resources for information through its Compendium,” said Gimpel. “Both of these roles are critical to maintaining the public’s trust. We are proud to be part of this group of organizations that are dedicated to such an important issue in healthcare.”
The Coalition for Trust in Health & Science was formed to unite organizations from across the entire health ecosystem to advance trust and factual science-based decision-making. The Coalition aims to improve public trust in health and science organizations in order to protect the public’s health and ensure that everyone can access, understand, and have confidence in the reliability of the information they need to make evidence-based, personally appropriate health and healthcare decisions.
About the NBOME:
The NBOME is an independent, non-governmental, nonprofit assessment organization committed to protecting the public by providing the means to assess competencies for osteopathic medicine and related health care professions. NBOME’s COMLEX-USA examination series is a requirement for graduation from colleges of osteopathic medicine and provides the pathway to licensure for osteopathic physicians in the United States and numerous international jurisdictions.
MEDIA INQUIRIES
Renee Cree, MA
Director for Communications
rcree@nbome.org
