Why do 80% of patients all lie to their doctors?

According to a new study, 80% of American patients lie to their doctors. The majority of fabrications relate to diet and physical exercise. Many also don’t come forward when they disagree with the doctor, or worse, when they don’t understand it. Deliberately omitting to report elements that are known to have an impact on health (alcohol, tobacco, lack of contraception, reduced libido, etc.) is also a common scenario.

Fear of being labeled

50% of those questioned explain that they are too embarrassed to be able to express themselves in front of their doctor, when others simply do not want to have their braces pulled up. “Most people want their doctor to have a high opinion of them,” adds study director Angela Fagerlin, a specialist in sociology of health (University of Alberta, Canada). “They’re afraid of being branded as someone who doesn’t make good decisions,” she says.

Two surveys made it possible to draw these conclusions. The first collected responses from 2,011 participants, aged 36 on average, and the second interviewed 2,499 sixty-somethings. All of them had to project their reaction into seven imaginary consultations. Women, young people and the sickest were the ones who lied to their doctors the most, often about minor facts. A total of 1630 participants (81.1%) and 1535 participants (61.4%) knowingly avoided disclosing at least one type of information to their doctor.

Important consequences

However, “if patients do not say what they eat or if they take their medication well, this can have significant consequences for their health. Especially if they have a chronic disease”, warns Andrea Gurmankin Levy , Associate Professor of Social Sciences. Not communicating with your doctor also significantly reduces screening rates, which, in serious diseases such as cancer, can save lives.

The study also notes that the way caregivers communicate can cause patients to shut down, and training in this would no doubt be hugely beneficial.