Dr Sanjay Bhattacharya, MBBS, MD, DNB, and FRCPath, serves as a Consultant in Clinical Microbiology at Tata Medical Center in Kolkata. His expertise lies in Antimicrobial Stewardship, Molecular Microbiology, and Infection Prevention and Control. He has garnered experience from esteemed institutions such as North Bengal Medical College, JIPMER Puducherry, and the National Health Service (UK). He briefs us why health literacy is important to recognize medical misinformation.
When a patient explains to you about their health problems, what are the most common mistakes they make in their communication?
The most common error patients make when communicating with a doctor is failing to be precise and direct. Furthermore, they do not give enough information about their health.
What does health literacy mean to you, and why is it important in patient care?
Health literacy is a form of empowerment. It is understanding the factors which affect health. It is knowing about the definition of health, which is not just the absence of disease but physical, mental and social well-being. Health literacy is also about knowing how to access healthcare. It involves knowledge about diet, exercise, psychological health.
If a patient is knowledgeable about the basics of their health condition, how helpful is it for the overall treatment procedure?
It is generally helpful. However, too much of information (through Google search or YouTube videos) can become a problem both for the patient as well as the doctor. Not all patients are able to handle medical information – they are not trained to do that. The patients and their relatives need to know and understand the basics of their health condition, but they should avoid too much of technical details which is the domain of healthcare providers and medical specialists. Too many options and too much of information are potentially problematic.
How much can medical misinformation impact treatment procedures?
Medical misinformation can affect treatment processes profoundly. Patient can get confused and misguided about treatment options, prognosis of a disease (outcome), diagnostic methods and how diseases are transmitted. It may also lead to delay in accessing healthcare leading to potentially serious consequences.
What are the most common myths or misinformation you see your patients falling prey to?
There are many myths. First myth, antibiotic resistance occurs when the human body becomes resistant to antibiotics. The reality is, it is bacteria that become resistant to antibiotics not the human body. Second myth, cancer is incurable and inevitably leads to death. However, the reality is many cancers are curable and most of them are treatable. Many cancer patients after treatments live a near normal life. There are new treatments available or under development for the management of cancer. Another myth is getting HIV infection inevitably leads to AIDS and is a death sentence. The truth is there are many good medicines currently available in India for the management of HIV. If treated in time and with effective medicines HIV does not lead to AIDS in majority of cases. HIV patients on medicines can live for many decades and is now a chronic medical condition.
What is your most common advice to patients to stay away from health misinformation online?
Check the facts about health information. More so, check the source of such facts. Do not believe whatever is being said, recorded or written. Healthcare is a science. Science changes with time. Scientific facts change when better experimental results are available. Ask a doctor or a specialist if you are confused or in doubt. This is where health literacy and knowledge reflect.
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