DIA 2022 Global Annual Meeting

Component Type: Forum
Level: Intermediate
CE: ACPE 1.00 Knowledge UAN: 0286-0000-22-516-L04-P ; CME 1.00; RN 1.00

During the COVID pandemic, rapid coverage of non-peer-reviewed information– some of which was later retracted - created confusion and mistrust. This session will discuss the ethical issues in rapid, yet accurate, scientific communications. The last two years have brought increased attention to the difficulty of ensuring accurate and effective scientific communications. During the COVID pandemic, the rapid media coverage of non-peer-reviewed information posted on pre-print servers and disseminated through other routes – some of which was later retracted as inaccurate or fraudulent - created confusion and mistrust in both care providers and the public. Some of these communications resulted in significant resources being invested in research on potential therapies, and the incorporation of unproven therapies into treatment paradigms, even though they really had no scientific evidence to support their use. Retraction of these therapies, when they were found ineffective, has caused significant public controversy. In this session, presenters will discuss the challenges and ethical implications of ineffective scientific communication, and the personal and public health harms that may result. Presenters will also a journalistic perspective on how the layperson can ask basic questions to assess the validity of scientific reports conveyed by the media. We will also discuss what the drug development community can do to combat the problem of scientific misinformation and disinformation.

Learning Objectives

Discuss the moral and ethical underpinnings of the importance of accurate scientific communication; Develop awareness of tactics for evaluating scientific communications for quality, rigor, and scientific validity; Recognize and combat misinformation in scientific communications and media communications.

Chair

Lindsay McNair, MD, MPH, MS

Speaker

Overview of the Moral and Ethical Underpinnings of the Need for Accurate Scientific Communication
Karla Childers, MS

Lessons from a Journalist: Practical Tools for Identifying Reliable and Accurate Information
Sydney Lupkin