As described in previous posts, Internet users, due to time constraints, convenience, availability and proximity are tempted to practice auto-diagnosis based on the information found in search engines or general medical websites like WebMD or Doctissimo. And here lies the problem, as the average healthcare consumer is more likely to make mistakes in the diagnosis, due to his lack of medical expertise. This can lead consumers to think the worst, for instance diagnosing an appendicite or a chronic sleep disorder. Online health information services should be considered as such, just information. By no means is it a way to conduct a diagnosis which is a more complex process that takes a series of parameters, quantifiable or not.

The full article from lifehacker describes the phenomenom:

“Everyone’s done it: you’ve got a raging stomachache and you’re feeling kind of fatigued, so you search online for the cause of your malady and conclude that you’ve got cancer. A new study from Microsoft shows that “cyberchondria” is common because when you search for symptoms, the worst case scenario can be the first result—or not representative of the frequency of a serious illness. (For example, searching for a headache will return just as many brain tumor results as caffeine withdrawal, when the chances of a tumor are “infinitesimally small.”) Have you decided you’re dying after searching for illness symptoms online? Tell us about it in the comments.” Source:Lifehacker

I will also include one of the most interesting comments on the article:

“My boyfriend uses the internet to self-diagnose and predict his impending doom on a regular basis.” Healthcare consumer

“I can’t tell you how many times I’ve convinced myself I have appendicitis by reading WebMD.”  Healthcare consumer

I also found a detailled comment by a neuropsychologist about the dangers of self-diagnosis:

“As a clinical neuropsychologist, I cannot tell you how often patients search for health-related information that ends up being wrong, or does not apply to them. I would estimate from clinical experience that people are led to inaccurate or non-applicable information 95% of the time, whereas only 5% actually find something useful. People often show up at my office with printouts of symptoms and all sorts of illness-related information, having completely convinced themselves that they have disorder X. It’s actually a sad thing and it takes forever to disabuse individuals of information that they have latched onto as explaining all of their problems.

There are many considerations and variables that factor into diagnostic decision-making besides a list of symptoms. I would encourage anyone who seriously believes that he or she is ill to seek medical attention. I’m not saying that we should unquestionably accept information from our health care providers — doctors can and do make mistakes. But, please, try to keep an open mind and resist the urge to self-diagnose. If you have been to multiple doctors and no one can find anything wrong with you, it might be fruitful to check your premises.”

Your TeleDoctor is aiming at bridging the gap between healthcare consumers and physicians by offering a plateform that provide the same advantages of accessibility and convinience of information website, but by adding value by having a physician to help you with your medical concerns.

After the success of the previous editions of Startup Camp Montreal, the folks at Embrase, a business consulting firm in Montreal, have rolled their sleeves to organize a third edition. The event is scheduled 27th November 2008.

The event is a good occasion to pitch and test your plan in front of seasoned investors. The feedback gathered there is invaluable. Gurus and investors are tough enough and if you pass the test, you will know that you are in the right track. It is also the occasion to compare yourself against the other startups present. Competition is always healthy and necessary to push us forward.

So, if you have a startup or an idea of a startup and want to present, go register here.

Your TeleDoctor will be present at the event. Please come and talk to me, I will be more than happy to answer your questions about the product and the exciting things to expect in the next few weeks.

Update: I won’t be able to make it to the event. Hope good luck to everyone.

Calling in sick may be a thing of the past, but not for the reason you might think: A poll by www.ehealthforum.com shows that more than 30 percent of people surveyed feel guilty about taking the time to attend a doctor’s appointment during office hours. According to the results, 29 percent of U.S. residents felt “mild to extreme” guilt, while 28 percent of Canadians and 35 percent of British respondents carried the same feelings. Mark Turkovic, co-founder of eHealth Forum, said people often want to be seen as the hardest, longest worker in an effort to preserve their jobs - especially in a down economy. “Sadly, taking the time out to visit the doctor all too often falls by the wayside,” Turkovic said.

At Your TeleDoctor, we believe that such a behaviour can lead to the following consequences:

-Increased Illness and death from stress, hearth disease, cirrhosis and suicide.

-Loss in competitivness due to lack of energy and lack of focus at work. Ultimatly, this situation can lead for you to lose your job.

As discussed in an earlier post, we believe that being able to consult your physician remotely can greatly reduce the likehood of missing a whole day to arrange a doctor visit. This is even more important in the current economic downturn where employers want to keep their jobs at any cost.

Since we are heading towards a possible economic recession, people will be very attentive at their spendings, by this means people will buy what they urgently need. And while healthcare is one of the priorities with food expenses and housing, we can expect that a cut on that budget occurs, especially for the category that pays for the visits.

In that sense how can we keep with health expenses when our overall budget is tightening? You cut on on your healthcare budget waiting for better times? This is certainly the immediate solution, still, it does not solve the problem, as ignoring your condition will just make it harder to diagnosis and to treat.   Afterall, and we all agree, our health is our most precious capital. What if you could access healthcare services from the comfort of your home, without having to take a day off for a doctor visit and most importantly at an affordable price?

In fact, when considering an online visit, we profit from the following benefits:

-The online consultation’s price is lower than a visit to the emergency room or at a doctor’s office. In the United States for instance, it costs as high as $140 per visit to the emergency room while teleconsultations can be priced as low as $50 without a loss in quality, as online doctors have the same formation as the doctors you visit at the office.

-Consulting a doctor implicates driving a distance, making you lose time and money while teleconsultations can be conducted immediatly and from the comfort and privacy of your home.

-When diagnosing a condition early on, the chances for a fast recovery are higher while avoiding complications. The overall recurring cost, although harder to materialise, from complications and complex diagnosis is reduced and in certain cases, eliminated. In that sense, telemedicine encourages preventive medicine by trying to understand the causes of the medical condition rather than trying to hide its symptomes with drugs; doctor being physically distant from his patient will take the time to circle the problem and propose an indepth solution.

How do you foresee telemedicine and remote consultations in the near future? Do you see yourself as a potential user of such a service? Do you think remote consultations will become mainstream any time soon?