Trusteeship - May/June 2020 - 44

FORUM

Coordinated Response to Coronavirus
Offers Best Path Forward

W

BY PATRICE A. HARRIS
HEN HEALTH OFFICIALS

in China first reported a
pneumonia of unknown
cause in late 2019, misinformation spread so rapidly through social
media and other channels that it outpaced
the virus itself.
Apart from inducing panic and fear,
false stories undermine trust in science
and in the public health institutions we rely
on to prepare for and implement effective
responses to public health emergencies.
Academic institutions are an important
partner in our nation's response to SARSCoV2 and the disease it causes, COVID-19.
Higher education officials have helped lead
the way by coordinating with their local
and state health departments by reviewing
and updating their emergency preparedness plans, and by making sometimes difficult decisions about operations and virtual
learning based on the unique needs and
circumstances of their students and faculty.
Now more than ever, it's critical to heed
the expert advice of the highly trained physicians and scientists at the Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention (CDC), the National
Institutes of Health (NIH), and leading medical schools in overcoming this threat.
The medical and public health communities have critical roles to play during such
emergencies-not only in diagnosing and
treating patients but, just as importantly,
as sources for timely, accurate, and evidence-based information in the face of fear,
anxiety, misinformation, and stigma. The
cooperation of the academic community has
proved invaluable in advancing this mission.
Combating misinformation, whether it
is spread unknowingly or with the intent
to harm, is no easy task. Misinformation
is rampant online and across social media,
44 TRUSTEESHIP  MAY. JUN. 2020

especially in times of heightened anxiety.
We don't necessarily need research to tell
us that misinformation and false news
spread much more quickly and wider on
social media than the truth, but studies
have drawn this conclusion.
Under these circumstances, containing
misinformation about the novel coronavirus may rank second only to curbing the
spread of COVID-19 itself. We recognize
that fear is a natural human response to a
public health threat about which so much
remains unknown-and we also realize
that fear can incapacitate us and inhibit an
appropriate response.
Viruses simply don't target specific populations, ethnicities, or racial groups. It is
vitally important that physicians and other
members of the health care community
offer voices of reason and defend against
the stigmatization of communities that are
unfairly under scrutiny.
Public trust in organizations like the
CDC, the NIH, and the World Health Organization (WHO), agencies that are leading
the global response to COVID-19, is essential
to containing global health threats. Undermining public trust through misinformation,
conflicting messages, and other methods
cripples that response and exacerbates fear.
Public health agencies across the governmental public health enterprise-at the
federal, state, and local levels-must work
in a unified and coordinated fashion along
with the health care system to boost preparedness and strengthen response efforts.
So, too, must academic institutions. Flexible
funding in public health is needed to address
unexpected infectious disease outbreaks and
build public health infrastructure at the state
and local levels, with particular attention to
medically underserved areas. As a nation,

we must ensure that our response efforts do
not reinforce existing health inequities.
At the AMA, we're working in tandem
with the CDC to ensure physicians have the
timely and accurate information they need
to allay their patients' concerns.
In partnership with the CDC, the AMA
has established a free COVID-19 resource
center for physicians on our JN Learning
website and on the AMA website that,
among other objectives:
■	 Shares the latest developments in the
spread and management of the disease.
■	 Reviews the epidemiologic and clinical characteristics of novel coronavirus infections.
■	 Details methods to protect providers
from becoming infected, provides tips on
educating patients.
■	 Reviews the lessons learned from prior
coronavirus and influenza epidemics to
respond to possible sustained transmission.
Accurate information that is rooted in
science and evidence is the most powerful weapon we have in the battle against
a health emergency. Patients will look to
physicians and other members of the health
care team to provide them with credible
information, particularly in times of high
anxiety and growing fear.
As a vital element of its mission to promote the art and science of medicine and
improve the health of our nation, the AMA
is committed to the dissemination of accurate, evidence-based information that minimizes the impact of a potential COVID-19
outbreak in the United States, and helps
doctors, hospitals, and health officials
mount an effective response.
Patrice A. Harris, MD, MA, is the
president of the American Medical
Association.
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