GP Dawn Harper was speaking at a workshop on the impact of the media on patients and patient groups. ‘Readers and listeners take what is reported in the media on board and, in some cases, believe it to have more truth than what GPs say,’ she said.
Harper cited stories about HRT and the pill as examples of how patients have been affected by media coverage.
However, she also said such stories could save lives by prompting more patients to have health checks.