Do abstracts reveal what's important about a study?

Sometimes an abstract is a good summary of a study's results. Most of the time, it leaves out vital information needed to accurately verify a study's data, evidence, and conclusions.

If you don't read beyond the abstract, your takeaway could be half-baked or misinformed.

Do healthcare providers always accurately summarize research?

Unfortunately, no.

Many health and wellness influencers, even those with impressive credentials, only read the abstracts and draw their own conclusions. This doesn't always happen with malicious intent, but even accidental misinformation is still a problem.

There are many reasons why people with expert credentials skip vital steps in reading research:

• Limited time: Doctors and other healthcare practitioners are busy. As a full-time researcher, it takes me anywhere from 30 minutes to 6 hours to properly read and review a complete study. The time commitment depends on the study design, topic, number of participants, and volume of information. I spend far more time reviewing studies that have many limitations to consider. If I were a full-time clinical provider, I would never have the time, energy, or brain space to analyze research objectively.
• Limited research access: Doctors or clinical providers don't automatically have scholarly research access. Even academic researchers are limited by what's in their university's library or what they can borrow. Even full-time scholars have problems accessing research, so people who aren't academics or study investigators probably have more issues finding it, not less.
• Confirmation bias: Doctors or practitioners can have strong views about diets, medications, or supplements. These may be based on their personal experience, what they've seen in their specific clinic, who they know, and what they believe about the world. All of these factors together can influence a person's objectivity. Instead of investing hours, days, or weeks to research a topic from every angle, they may seek studies that confirm what they already feel or know. This is called confirmation bias. It's common but also a huge reason why misinformation has exploded. Researchers must be aware of their biases—and actively work to address them.
• Conflicts of interest: When a wellness author, influencer, or doctor builds a platform on a specific issue or topic, it’s hard to get outside their zone with an objective eye. They aren't just posting on social media, writing books, or seeing patients. They're running a business on a platform they've built. And it wouldn't be considered a smart business practice to talk about research that disproves books you've written or undermines your platform. This is a major reason why healthcare (or wellness care) as a business is rife with ethical red flags.

How do you know if something is trustworthy?

Review and fact-checking must come from people who don’t have a stake in the research outcome. This leads to credibility about reported outcomes so that trust is centered on facts, not the fear of losing someone’s platform or the desire to increase someone’s influence or income.