The Doctors’ Opinion
Why it is important to get physicians’ take on the current politicization of medicine
Last week, the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM) made headlines across the country by publishing a political editorial. It was noteworthy because it was only the fourth editorial in the 208-year history of the journal, and the first time that it published an editorial signed by 34 of the 35 editors. The editorial said, in part, that in the United States “we have enormous expertise in public health, health policy and basic biology and have consistently been able to turn that expertise into new therapies and preventive measures. And much of that national expertise resides in government institutions. Yet our leaders have largely chosen to ignore and even denigrate experts.”
The line between medicine and politics, which had long been sacrosanct, has blurred in the age of COVID-19, which has raised concerns across the U.S. — and rightfully so. The NEJM editorial is just the latest example of politicization that extends from the White House, which has reportedly undermined the CDC’s mask guidelines, to a race for a COVID-19 vaccine, which has raised mistrust in the FDA. A STAT News Harris Poll found that 78% of Americans worry that the vaccine process is being driven by politics over science. While it is important to know voters’ opinions on these topics in an election year, what is even more valuable is listening to doctors’ opinions.
My company, Sermo — the largest healthcare research company and social platform for physicians — has made listening to doctors our business. We asked our 1.3 million members around the world a simple question after the NEJM editorial published: Should trusted medical journals share political views? 79% of the members who responded said no. Physicians tell us they count on medical journals for new data and research to help them better treat their patients. By jumping into the political fray, some doctors seem to believe that the journal is moving away from its stated mission of delivering high quality peer-reviewed research.
Some might argue that the politicization of medicine reached a fever pitch when the Coronavirus Task Force announced the race for a vaccine. There are currently about 50 vaccines in various stages of clinical trials around the world. But there is trepidation among physicians because of the seeming political nature of the rush to inoculation — even the name, “Operation Warp Speed,” seems to flout the convention of the scientific rigor the FDA has become known for around the world.
Since the onset of the pandemic, Sermo has been crowdsourcing the best thinking and best practices from our members in an ongoing survey we call the COVID Real Time Barometer. In one recent survey dedicated to vaccines, 87% of physicians told us that they believed that concern over vaccine safety and potential side effects would be a significant barrier to adoption. One member, Roger Hofford, M.D., associate professor, Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine and clinical professor of Family Medicine and Population Health at Virginia Commonwealth University, said, “Not only do we anticipate our patients will have safety concerns, many of our patients don’t feel they are at a significant enough risk to warrant a vaccine, adding one more hurdle to vaccine acceptance.”
Weeks ago, the FDA said that it would announce strict protocols to approve a vaccine — protocols that included following trial volunteers for two months to ensure that the vaccine protects against the virus and to monitor for side effects. The White House refused to allow the agency to release them, despite what we are seeing from Sermo physicians and their patients, who want safety first and foremost.
Nearly 70% of US Sermo members polled in a mid-September Real Time Barometer survey said that they rely on government agencies like the CDC for guidance. This is difficult now as they are politicized about everything from face covering masks to the editing of the CDC website and reports. Doctors count on this government agency, which once prided itself on staying out of the political fray, for straight talk about treatment.
There is of course a place for politics. We are, after all, living it now in a presidential election season. But that place is not in research labs and physician treatment rooms. That is why it is important to listen to our physicians who want and need to get scientific information unmediated. Scientists learning from science will be how we get through to the other side of this pandemic.
