Is Readiness for Cancer Misinformation Contagious? Physician-Patient Communication and Psychological Factors Impacting Cancer Misinformation Belief

Brittany N. Shivers (Ph.D. student), Megan Pietruszewski Norman, Jiaqi (Agnes) Bao, Nicole Cortes (Undergraduate Student). “Is Readiness for Cancer Misinformation Contagious? Physician-Patient Communication and Psychological Factors Impacting Cancer Misinformation Belief.” Accepted for presentation at the International Public Relations Research Conference (IPRRC), Orlando, March.

Abstract: Cancer misinformation poses a significant public health risk, exploiting patient vulnerability and undermining evidence-based treatments. Despite its public health relevance, cancer remains underexplored in misinformation research. This study examines the crisis of cancer misinformation through social learning theory and Jin et al.'s (2024) concept of READINESS, a multi-level framework addressing individual, team, and organizational levels. We investigate trust in physicians, analytical reasoning, bullshit receptivity, and attitudes about complementary and alternative medicine as predictors of patient susceptibility to misinformation. Through employing surveys to patients and physicians, we explore physician-patient communication and effects of healthcare centers’ readiness on mitigating misinformation.