CHIBE/LDI Health Policy Work-in-Progress Research Seminar Series: Michael L. Barnett, MD, MS

Michael L. Barnett, MD, MS, will join the CHIBE, HP, & LDI community for a Work-In-Progress Research Seminar on May 13, 2021 from noon to 1 PM EST. Dr. Barnett is an Assistant Professor of Health Policy and Management at the Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health.

Topic: Political partisanship and physician prescribing of proposed COVID-19 treatments in 2020 (work in progress)

In early 2020, there were surges of prescriptions for drugs proposed to treat COVID-19, such as hydroxychloroquine, ivermectin, and azithromycin despite a very uncertain evidence base. Increased prescribing persisted throughout 2020 even after RCT evidence demonstrated that these treatments were ineffective. The factors influencing physicians to continue prescribing debunked therapies for COVID-19 are unknown. A possible influence is political partisanship of patients or physicians given that these drugs became politically polarized via promotion by right-wing leaders and news media. In this preliminary work, I examine whether there is evidence that physicians are vulnerable to partisanship in prescribing decisions during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Zoom info can be found below:

https://upenn.zoom.us/j/95353951407.