A resounding 81% of Canadians say they trust their physicians to provide them with their healthcare information. However, 94% of Americans trust their physicians. Unlike Americans who next trust scientists and government health agencies, Canadians are more apt to trust pharmacists and nurses (both at 79%).
A recent survey by the Canadian Medical Association, Canadian Medical Association 2024 health and media annual tracking survey – CMA Digital Library – Canadian Medical Association. Mosst people value the person (and their qualifications) of who is providing the health information, more so than where they access the information. As such, only 24% of Canadians trust social media for health information.
And the majority of Canadians, as high as nine out of ten of us, have found health information online, only to learn later that it was inaccurate or misleading. As such, 72% of Canadians believe health-related misinformation is a fact of life, and it is actually getting worse.
Other facts from the survey are:
- 40% say misinformation about health issues has led to mental distress or increased anxiety; and
- 73% believe Health Canada is most responsible for safeguarding Canadians against health misinformation.
According to the Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI), “Health information has become one of society’s most valuable public goods. It informs policy, management, care and research, leading to better, more equitable health outcomes for all Canadians.”
Canadians need to discern what health information is valid and what is not. As such, the author of any information is probably the most important way to know if a source is valid and reliable. Articles and information by medical professionals, physicians, pharmacists and nurses, are going to be the most reliable and credible.
2Ascribe Inc. is a medical and dental transcription services agency located in Toronto, Ontario Canada, providing medical transcription services to physicians, specialists (including psychiatry, pain and IMEs), dentists, dental specialties, clinics and other healthcare providers across Canada. Our medical and dental transcriptionists take pride in the quality of your transcribed documents. WEBshuttle is our client interface portal for document management. 2Ascribe continues to implement and develop technology to assist and improve the transcription process for physicians, dentists and other healthcare providers, including AUTOfax. AUTOfax works within WEBshuttle to automatically send faxes to referring physicians and dentists when a document is e-signed by the healthcare professional. As a service to our clients and the healthcare industry, 2Ascribe offers articles of interest to physicians, dentists and other healthcare professionals, medical transcriptionists, dental transcriptionists and office staff, as well as of general interest. Additional articles may be found at http://www.2ascribe.com. For more information on Canadian transcription services, dental transcription, medical transcription work or dictation options, please contact us at info@2ascribe.com.
