Dr Google

[Eve]

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2296398/The-rise-Dr-Google-Half-Britons-health-advice-online-seeing-GP.html

Thought some of you may find this interesting.

According to the Daily Mail:

51 per cent of adults go online for health tips rather than visiting their doctor, 23 per cent rely on the media

Only 22 per cent visit GP to discuss medical matters

49 per cent make lifestyle changes because of 'reaching a certain age' rather than based on medical advice

19 per cent have 'no idea' if their diet is healthy

[B00]

Well it's either Google or Sqad- take ya pick ;-)

[Sqad]

Dr Tom Brett, Medical Director at Lloydspharmacy Online Doctor said: ‘There is a wealth of useful information available on the internet to help people research their symptoms.

I find this report deeply disturbing and potentially dangerous from many points of view. Firstly one has to know what symptoms one is actually having,as i have seen on AB websites given for symptoms which are at best dubious and at worst, plain wrong.
The other factor is that websites tend to give one a long list of medical conditions which will almost certainly include cancer and be the reason for concern and worry.Many of these lists would challenge the knowledge of almost all doctors.

Medicine is about talking to patients, taking each one individually and the old axiom "if you haven't made a diagnosis by talking to the patient, then examination is unlikely to help in onley a minority of cases."

I still believe that......the romance of medicine has been lost to the www.

However, once a diagnosis has been established by a medical practitioner then the links and websites can be of invaluable assistance.

[China Doll]

I know it can be quite difficult when a patient comes to clinic convinced they have something cause they read it on the internet. It's great once you have a diagnosis in terms of more information, support whatever... but it's also fuel for hypercondriacs and it can be difficult to change some patients minds. Also, people go looking up results, focusing on what abnormality and not actually realising that that particular abdnormality means nothing when faced with the bigger picture and all the other tests they had... again, can very difficult to manage as patient focuses in on that.

Fortunately that's what they pay the consultants the big bucks for :c)

[arwyn]

Eve this is interesting, I wonder how many have turned to Google because they have lost trust in their G.P.

[rockyracoon]

Blimey, seeing as all these people are not going to see the docs, you'd think it'd be easier to get an appointment instead of waiting over a week.

[LazyGun]

I think it can be very useful for everyone, once a diagnosis has been made - access to help and support groups, further details of the condition etc, but without expertise and training, trying to use the internet as a self-diagnostic tool is fraught with difficulties, not least mis-diagnosis, or assuming the worst case scenario, or falling for quackery.

In general I am in favour of people having as much information as possible, because in theory an informed patient is one better able to manage their condition; but people should be wary of what site on the internet they place a value....

[Sqad]

LazyGun...excellent post.

[ummmm]

I just send Sqad an email :-)

[Sqad]

We are not talking about cybersex ummmm......;-)

[LazyGun]

@ummm Must be great, having your own personal physician on call :)