Author: Jordan Francke, MD, MPH
The Daily Dose
Public trust in physicians, scientists, and healthcare institutions is declining at a time when misinformation and disinformation are spreading rapidly. During the opening plenary session of the 2026 IARS and SOCCA Annual Meeting, Sharon Straus, CM, MD, MSc, FRCPC, FCAHS, FRSC, discussed how evidence-based medicine, transparency, public engagement, and scientific humility can help rebuild that trust.
The session opened with IARS President Oluwaseun Johnson-Akeju, MD, welcoming attendees and recognizing the individuals and organizations supporting the meeting. He also introduced Bruce Biccard, PhD, as the newest member of the IARS Board of Directors and Vivianne Tawfik, MD, PhD, as the incoming IARS president.
Dr. Tawfik announced the new IARS Volunteer of the Year Award. The inaugural recipient was Patrick Olomu, MD, FRCA, FMCA, who was recognized for his leadership and service as chair of the International Subcommittee.
The growing crisis of distrust
Dr. Straus explained that distrust in medicine and science has become increasingly widespread. Patients now encounter enormous volumes of medical information through social media, artificial intelligence, friends, influencers, and other sources that may not be accurate or evidence based.
This skepticism can affect vaccination, public health policy, climate-related decisions, and individual medical care. Canada’s recent loss of its measles-free status was presented as one example of the consequences that can follow declining trust in public health recommendations.
Trust in science and healthcare benefits society by helping patients make informed decisions, supporting sound public policy, and improving confidence in institutions. However, trust cannot simply be demanded. Healthcare professionals and researchers must demonstrate that they deserve it.
Skepticism versus misinformation
Dr. Straus emphasized that skepticism itself is not harmful. Patients should ask questions, evaluate recommendations, and avoid blindly accepting everything they are told.
The problem arises when legitimate skepticism is replaced by false information, deliberate disinformation, or unsupported claims presented with the same authority as carefully conducted scientific research.
Artificial intelligence has increased the speed and volume with which convincing but inaccurate information can be created and distributed. This makes clear communication and transparency from healthcare professionals even more important.
Three strategies for rebuilding trust
Dr. Straus offered three broad recommendations.
First, clinicians should practice evidence-based healthcare by combining the best available research with professional expertise and each patient’s values and preferences.
Second, healthcare professionals must be trustworthy and transparent. They should communicate consistently, explain the reasoning behind recommendations, disclose uncertainty, and avoid unnecessary medical jargon.
Third, clinicians and researchers must engage directly with patients, caregivers, and the public. These relationships can improve health literacy, reveal what matters most to patients, and help researchers design more relevant studies.
The leaky research pipeline
Dr. Straus described a “leaky research pipeline” in which large amounts of research funding are wasted because studies ask poorly defined questions, use weak methods, fail to publish results, or produce articles that the public cannot access.
More than $250 billion may be wasted each year on research that does not adequately contribute to improved patient care or public understanding.
This weakens trust because patients may hear about conflicting studies without understanding their quality, limitations, or clinical relevance. Researchers therefore have a responsibility not only to conduct sound science but also to communicate it clearly and make it useful.
Turning evidence into clinical practice
Dr. Straus used the implementation of fascia iliaca blocks for older patients undergoing hip surgery to demonstrate how evidence can be converted into practice.
Her team first identified the clinical problem and determined why a change was necessary. They then reviewed the available evidence, identified barriers and factors supporting implementation, and designed interventions to improve adoption.
Successful practice change may require modifying clinician behavior, hospital policies, education, workflow, documentation, equipment availability, and patient communication. Publishing evidence alone rarely changes practice.
Implementation science provides a structured method for determining what should change, why change has not already occurred, and which interventions are most likely to succeed.
The importance of humility
One of Dr. Straus’s most important messages was that clinicians and scientists must be willing to say, “I don’t know.”
Acknowledging uncertainty does not weaken professional credibility. Pretending to have certainty when evidence is limited can cause greater damage when recommendations later change or prove incorrect.
Scientific humility means clearly distinguishing established evidence from expert opinion, early findings, and unanswered questions. It also requires remaining willing to reconsider recommendations when better evidence becomes available.
Clinical significance
Rebuilding trust will require more than correcting isolated pieces of misinformation. Healthcare professionals must consistently demonstrate honesty, competence, transparency, respect, and humility.
Clinicians should communicate evidence in understandable language, involve patients in decisions, acknowledge uncertainty, and consider individual values rather than presenting medicine as a rigid set of instructions.
Researchers must ask meaningful questions, use sound methods, publish both positive and negative findings, and ensure that important discoveries reach clinicians and the public.
Science remains one of society’s strongest tools for addressing difficult problems. Its effectiveness, however, depends on the public believing that healthcare professionals and researchers are working openly, responsibly, and in the patient’s best interest.
Thank you to The Daily Dose and IARS for allowing us to summarize this important lecture on evidence, implementation, and rebuilding public trust in healthcare.