In the spirit of Halloween, last month’s poll asked readers which aspects of medicine make their pulse race … not from excitement, but from fear. Here are the results:

My thoughts: Three themes stand out from these results. First is the dominance of misinformation. Nearly half of respondents said it is what scares them most (not hospital bills, insurance denials or even medical errors). They’re right. Misinformation spreads faster than facts and has become a public health threat of its own.

Second, the financial picture looks different for our readers than for the nation overall. Out-of-pocket costs came in at 21%, far below what national surveys show. Likewise, a majority of respondents say they “always” speak up when they don’t understand something their doctor says. My hypothesis: readers of this newsletter tend to be better educated, more health literate and more financially secure than average Americans.

Finally, fear is nearly universal among hospitalized patients and their loved ones. Anxiety spikes when lab results are delayed, when no one explains what’s happening next, or when it’s unclear who holds ultimate responsibility for clinical decisions. Only 7% of respondents said they were never uncomfortable or afraid. And that says a lot.