Take Self-Diagnosis with a Grain of Salt
November 26th, 2008
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.