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In health scare, do no harm is key advice

Participants at an AMA conference learn credibility is what public wants.

By ALISA ULFERTS
Published April 13, 2007

TAMPA - Technological advances haven't made it easier to educate people during public health scares, the nation's top disease doctor said Thursday.

Dr. Julie Gerberding, director of the national Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, told participants of the American Medical Association's medical communications conference that the competing claims of expertise on the Internet and television can interfere with efforts to get the right information to the public as quickly as possible.

"Much of the information is unverified because it's coming so fast," Gerberding said. "I believe the market will correct this. ... But right now it is a very chaotic situation and it makes our job very difficult."

Gerberding's speech was intended to give medical professionals guidance on delivering information as the country deals with the possibilities of a flu pandemic and the erosion of public reliance on credible media. Rather than wait for an established media outlet to report what the government has to say about health events, many people now seek out their own online sources of information. Some may be legitimate, but many are not, Gerberding said.

While it is important to release accurate information as quickly as possible, the most important thing medical professionals can do is protect their credibility, Gerberding said.

"People will forgive you if you're wrong. People will forgive you if you are not first. But they will have a hard time from then on if you are not credible," Gerberding said.

Dr. Jeremy Lazarus, a board member of the AMA, reminded conferees of the importance of Gerberding's words and the reason for their conference.

"The public appetite for health care information is ravenous," Lazarus said. "It affects us all, so it interests us all."

[Last modified April 13, 2007, 00:51:16]