A survey conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that people look to newspapers and magazines as sources of health information more often than family, friends, physicians, and nurses combined (78 vs 71%). Unfortunately, previous studies have demonstrated inaccurate or incomplete reporting of medical information in newspaper articles and websites. In addition to presenting misinformation on medical topics, the news media has the potential to stigmatize individuals or activities. Journalists often reinforce unhealthy cognitive biases.    

We assessed the prevalence of language that stigmatized repetitive hand use and those that use their hand repetitively in newspaper coverage of common hand illnesses. 65% of the newspaper articles studied stigmatized activities involving repetitive hand use, including 97% of articles discussing overuse injury of the hand, 90% of articles discussing tendonitis or tenosynovitis, and 52% of articles discussing carpal tunnel syndrome (1). Patient stigmatization was documented in 31% of the newspaper articles. Stigmatizing statements were most commonly made by journalists (95%), followed by patients (3.1%), and physicians (2.1%). Both health professionals and journalists reporting health-related news should be more sensitive to the use of stigmatizing language and provide a more balanced, measured, and evidenced-based account of hand illnesses.

Another study determined whether there are notable disparities between popular (Internet) and scientific (Index Medicus) theories of carpal tunnel syndrome causation. Internet sites implicated vitamin B(6) deficiency, tenosynovitis, and typing or computer use as causes for idiopathic carpal tunnel syndrome considerably more often and genetic predisposition considerably less often than recent Index Medicus scientific reports and reports reviewed by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (2).

References

1. Anthony S, Lozano-Calderon S, Ring D. Stigmatization of repetitive hand use in newspaper reports of hand illness. Hand. 2008;3(1):30-3.
2. Scangas G, Lozano-Calderon S, Ring D. Disparity between popular (Internet) and scientific illness concepts of carpal tunnel syndrome causation. J Hand Surg [Am]. 2008;33(7):1076-80.