A staggering 94% of patients have had their symptoms ignored or dismissed by doctors, revealing a healthcare system where patients’ voices are systematically silenced in what experts now call “medical gaslighting.”
Key Takeaways
- Medical gaslighting has been identified as the top patient safety risk for 2025 by ECRI, affecting millions of Americans, particularly women, minorities, and those with chronic conditions.
- Over 94% of patients report having their symptoms ignored or dismissed by healthcare providers, with 71% of women being told their symptoms are “imagined” or stress-related.
- Physician burnout (affecting 40% of doctors), time constraints, and administrative burdens contribute to unintentional dismissal of patient concerns.
- Misdiagnosis impacts 12 million Americans annually, with diagnostic errors in cancers, vascular events, and infections being common and leading to severe harm.
- Both patients and providers can take practical steps to combat medical gaslighting, including preparation for appointments, active listening, and avoiding dismissive language.
The Growing Crisis of Medical Gaslighting
Medical gaslighting — where healthcare professionals dismiss, minimize, or ignore patient concerns — has emerged as the number one threat to patient safety in 2025. This alarming finding comes from ECRI, a respected patient safety organization that annually identifies critical healthcare risks. The problem has reached epidemic proportions, with over 94% of patients reporting having their symptoms dismissed by medical professionals. This systematic failure isn’t just frustrating — it’s deadly, contributing to misdiagnoses that affect 12 million Americans each year and lead to preventable deaths and suffering.
“While we have made some progress in some areas, it is still shocking to me, quite honestly, how many patients we still harm who are in our care,” said Marcus Schabacker, M.D., Ph.D., ECRI’s president and CEO.
Women and Minorities Bear the Brunt
The impact of medical gaslighting isn’t distributed equally across society. Women, minorities, elderly patients, and those with chronic conditions face substantially higher rates of dismissal within the healthcare system. An astounding 71% of women report being told their symptoms are simply “imagined” or related to stress rather than legitimate medical concerns. Black patients are consistently less likely to receive adequate pain medication compared to white patients presenting with identical symptoms. These disparities reveal a troubling pattern of implicit bias that pervades medical practice and undermines quality care.
“Most clinicians have a deep commitment to healing and protecting their patients and would never intentionally make a patient feel unheard, but it nevertheless happens with alarming frequency,” said Marcus Schabacker, MD, PhD, president and chief executive officer of ECRI.
A System Designed to Fail
The root causes of medical gaslighting often stem from systemic pressures rather than malicious intent. Over 40% of physicians suffer from burnout, leading to emotional exhaustion and reduced empathy for patients. The average primary care appointment lasts just 18 minutes, hardly enough time to address complex symptoms or medical histories.
Doctors face crushing administrative burdens that consume hours better spent on patient care. The healthcare system has become what Dr. Schabacker describes as a structure “making the human adhere to a system, rather than designing a system which acknowledges and takes into account the fallibility of the human.”
“Patient safety events are not isolated incidents. They are often products of the system that clinicians and patients operate within, and how that system supports the people it serves,” explains Shannon Davila, MSN, RN, CPPS, CIC, CPHQ, FAPIC, executive director of total systems safety at ECRI.
The Cost of Not Listening
Diagnostic errors have become alarmingly commonplace, particularly in cases involving cancers, vascular events, and infections. These errors frequently result in preventable harm, delayed treatment, and worsened outcomes. Communication failures are identified as a major factor in nearly 70% of medical malpractice claims. When patients leave appointments feeling unheard, they’re less likely to follow treatment recommendations and more likely to avoid seeking medical care in the future — creating a dangerous cycle that compounds health problems and drives up healthcare costs.
“Providing high-quality healthcare starts with truly listening to patients. When we value their input, we gain critical insights that improve patient outcomes and build trust. A healthcare system that prioritizes patient voices is one that delivers safer, more efficient, and more compassionate care for all. Unfortunately, too many clinicians are operating under time and resource constraints that fuel substandard care,” said Marcus Schabacker, MD, PhD, president and chief executive officer of ECRI.
Solutions for a Broken System
ECRI recommends a systems-based approach to addressing medical gaslighting, including adjusting scheduling policies to allow for more thorough patient interactions and implementing structured communication protocols. Hospitals should train clinicians in empathetic listening techniques and create formal mechanisms for patients to report when they feel dismissed. Patients can protect themselves by preparing detailed notes before appointments, prioritizing their most pressing concerns, and seeking second opinions when necessary. Physicians should practice allowing patients to speak without interruption, validating their experiences, and avoiding dismissive language.
Other significant patient safety concerns identified by ECRI include insufficient governance of AI in healthcare, the spread of medical misinformation, cybersecurity breaches causing medical errors, veterans’ healthcare challenges, and the threat of substandard medications. Each of these issues represents a systemic failure in America’s healthcare infrastructure that requires urgent attention from policymakers and healthcare leaders committed to restoring patient trust and improving outcomes for all Americans.
