PDI Perspective Q&A: “How do I determine credibility of COVID-19 news and information?”

Author: Marc-Oliver Wright, MT(ASCP), MS, CIC, FAPIC

Categories: Clinical Pathogens/Alerts May 26, 2020
MOW_QA_COVID-19_May2020

We recently engaged members of our Clinical Affairs Team for support in answering frequently asked questions around the flood of information coming in around COVID-19 pandemic: 

Q: How do I determine credibility of COVID-19 news and information?

A: Take a worldwide novel phenomenon with life, death and economic consequences, add in the greatest information age in human history and what do you get? Chaos.

Even for those of us who have spent our entire adult lives firmly planted in healthcare, infectious diseases and/or epidemiology, this is an unprecedented time. Digesting the information related to COVID-19 is analogous to trying to take a sip from a fire hose and not all the information is equally credible or accurate. Family, coworkers and friends look to us for answers and being wrong is not an option. So, how do you determine what is or is not the truth?

A good first step is to recognize that this is a new phenomenon. There has been an inclination to compare the present state to past events (e.g. 1918 influenza, H1N1, SARS to name a few). While this is a natural tendency, there is something to appreciate in this being a new experience in and of its own right. While comparators offer their own lessons, past is not necessarily prologue for our current situation.

The most critical step in processing information is arguably a careful examination of the source. Trusted sources such as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), are often not the first to release new information. Their credibility, in part, is built on an established protocol of careful review by subject matter experts and a high threshold of evidence. Such standards are conducive to accurate information but come with the cost few are patient for-time. Arguably, agencies such as the CDC and the community of peer-reviewed medical literature are expediting information but in a 24-hour news cycle this leaves a vacuum less credible sources are all too happy to fill.

The following questions should be considered when evaluating new information regarding COVID-19.

  1. Is the author/source a public health entity or medical professional with expertise in infectious diseases and/or epidemiology? If not, what is the source of their expertise as it relates specifically to COVID-19?
  2. Is the hypothesis or finding biologically plausible?
  3. Is the hypothesis or finding theoretical or based on direct experience? If the latter, how many patients were involved or what methods were used?
  4. Does the author/source (or you) have a political, financial or alternate bias?

The COVID-19 pandemic has challenged all of us in so many extraordinary ways with information coming forward in a deluge. Appreciating the uniqueness of this time and this virus, investigating the source, expertise, plausibility, methods and potential biases will make us better information consumers and ultimately trusted experts in our own right.

Author

Marc-Oliver Wright MT(ASCP), MS, CIC, FAPIC
Marc-Oliver Wright, PDI Clinical Science Liaison Clinical Science Liaison, PDI

Profile

Marc wanted to be an epidemiologist as a teenager and was first introduced to infection prevention when he performed DNA fingerprinting of multidrug resistant organisms for research activities, surveillance and outbreak investigations while in graduate school. He became an infection preventionist, a research epidemiologist and ultimately a corporate director of infection prevention and quality for a multi-hospital system. Marc served APIC at the local and national level, has published over 50 articles and served on the editorial board of the American Journal of Infection Control for a decade.

Marc now serves as PDI’s Clinical Science Liaison (CSL), for the Central Region-14 states across the Midwest.

Contact

Phone: 608-886-4325

Company Website:Pdihc.com

Email: Marc-oliver.wright@pdihc.com

Hobbies

Cooking
Collecting vinyl albums

Education

University of Illinois – Chicago
Master of Science: Public Health Sciences: Epidemiology
Bachelor of Science: Clinical Laboratory Sciences

Certification
American Society for Clinical Pathology (ASCP)- MT (ASCP)
Certification Board of Infection Control (CBIC)- CIC

Fellowship
Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology, Inc-FAPIC

Why I love what I do

I believe that infection prevention is 5% knowing what to do and 95% figuring out how to get it done. The role of the CSL at PDI is a combination of knowing the science, teaching it to others and helping them through the implementation process. There is something truly rewarding in helping multiple healthcare organizations achieve their goals of safer, better patient care.

Areas of Expertise

Informatics
Human factors
Surveillance methodology
Multi-drug resistant organisms
Healthcare systems
Leadership

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