Medical Disinformation Increasingly Difficult to Stop in Poland

Combating medical disinformation has become increasingly challenging, a concern underscored at the "ZERO tolerance for disinformation in medicine!" conference organized by the Warsaw Bar Association. This discussion occurs shortly after the Polish President vetoed the "lex Szarlatan" bill, which aimed to provide the state with enhanced tools to fight pseudomedicine.

A primary obstacle is the limited ability to effectively address individuals spreading pseudoscientific content and offering unproven treatments. Since disinformation alone is not a criminal offense, legal action can only be taken if specific prohibited acts are committed. Grzegorz Wrona, the Physician Rights Advocate for the Supreme Medical Chamber, noted that over the past three years, he has filed more than 30 reports with law enforcement. While prosecutors initiated proceedings in these cases, they were subsequently dismissed, or they refused to initiate proceedings at all.

The consequences of pseudomedical claims can be severe, potentially leading patients to abandon evidence-based therapies or adopt unverified treatments, thereby endangering their health or lives. Participants emphasized that expanding criminal liability alone is insufficient. Effective systems require collaboration among administration, law enforcement, the judiciary, the medical community, patient organizations, media, and technology companies. Legal provisions should be invoked only when other protective mechanisms fail.

The internet has significantly amplified the problem, allowing health-related misinformation to reach thousands rapidly. Emotional appeals often resonate more strongly than complex, data-driven explanations. Correcting such information is a slower process and may not reach the same audience. Therefore, the fight against disinformation necessitates not only reacting to individual false publications but also promoting health and media literacy and teaching critical evaluation of information sources. False information spreads faster than its correction, undermining the authority of doctors and straining patient-doctor relationships. Furthermore, medical professionals are sometimes falsely implicated in endorsing products or therapies they have never recommended, and those speaking out on medical issues face online harassment.

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In the last three years, I have signed over 30 reports to law enforcement agencies. In these 30 cases, prosecutors initiated proceedings, which were then dismissed. In the remaining cases, the prosecution refused to initiate proceedings. Does this mean we should give up?