Will the internet turn us into hypacondriacs.

Red Sleeping Beauty

Well, obviously not all of us and I'm probably about 10 years too late to this discussion but...


How has the internet changed or shaped medicine ? Is it helping people or perhaps doing more harm than good. Aside from taking medical advice from a strange username on the internet, is the freely available information a bad thing ? Is there more people going to GPs perhaps having come to the conclusion themselves that because they've a few symptoms they've got the illness (self-diagnosing ?).

Is it good that people can come to their doctors with more info - "hey, why don't you check my XYZ or check for abc" - rather than risk something being overlooked. Or is it a nuiscance that someone might do an internet search for one small ailment and see a list of symptoms which they may or may not actually have so they go to the doc for the official word. I've seen a fair number of doctors in my short life and I have experienced the feeling of being rushed along or brushed off (a minor occurance compared to the amount of visits overall though) ,the "ah that's nothing, it'll be grand" kinda thing - for lack of a better description. But now if I go to a doctor I'm more inclined to ask a lot more questions and not leave until I get decent answers. Especially with regards any medications.

So is this a good thing ? From experience with doctors , the majority of them have been more than happy to explain things in understandable terms and seem pleased if there's questions to be answered .But what if the questions get too demanding and border on hypochondria . Where do you draw the line ? Should there be a line ?

AmcD

I think that the internet is helpful overall, but has certainly resulted in cyberchondria. People come in all the time after giving themselves terminal diagnoses. It generates an awful lot of anxiety. As an example- I saw an eighteen year old who had diagnosed himself with Alzheimers disease and throat cancer.
If people want further information, I think it is very helpful to give websites that you know give balanced information. The internet is full of loons with strange agendas and things to sell.
Another thing to warn people- if somebody is happy with their diagnosis and treatment and recovers well, they don't tend to write this up on the internet. On the other hand people who feel misdiagnosed, or suffer side-effects will certainly be more inclined to write about this.

I am quite happy for patients to come in to me prepared with stuff from the internet. One thing I have noticed though, which can be disappointing for people- not necessarily all treatments/brands/drugs may be available in Ireland.

DrIndy

I had a guy who diagnosed himself with hodgkins lymphoma. The give away after finding a pea sized solitary lymph node was "I think it hurts more after i drink alcohol".

I told him he was fine and to stay off the internet. It was good that i had 2 students with me at the time - its a good learning point.

BUT - people who have a rarer condition do also go on the internet and they know a hell of a lot about a condition - including exactly when to come into hospital before they are properly sick and also which drugs and treatments worked well the last time it happened.

From a doctor-patient perspective - just like this forum works - getting information on a diagnosis after it is made is very good - well educated patients remain healthier. However - getting a diagnosis off the internet is very dangerous. There is a website out there which if you type in the symptoms of a common cold will tell you that you have leukaemia! Ridiculous!

taram

I know having the internet has helped me a lot, espeically in terms of finding out more about my properly diagnosed! conditions, such as how to deal with side effects, effective otc treatments for superfical problems, exercise/diet plans to discuss with my GP/dietican, what to expect in 5-10 years time etc that my GP either lacks the knowledge of, or doesn't have time to explain in great detail. Obviously I get my info from proper sites not yahoo answers

But yeah, my sister's had a bruise under some ezcema, was convinced she had necrobiosis due to googling it.

tallaght01

The problem I find with the internet is context.

People come in thinking they're experts after reading stuff that may actually be factually correct. But every doctor will understand when I say that you can have 2 people who tick all the boxes for cancer on a list of symptoms on the net...you'll worry about one, and send the other home telling them there's nothing wrong.

There's a lot more to medicine than the tick box of symptoms.

This is where I find the problems. Like Indy alluded to...a swollen glad to a doc means one thing. But a person reading something from the net might go poking and find a tiny gland that's been there years. Panic stations!

So, there's the spectrum of symptoms, and the context in which they present. But the internet has been good for medicine in terms of online access to research, and up to date textbooks. So, on balance, I think it's been a good thing. But it has definitely bred a generation of hypochondriacs.

Red Sleeping Beauty

Does anyone object to a bump on this? Any more room for discussions/opinions etc. ?

Now with the extra strain in our health service is there a likely chance that this kind of self-diagnosing will become prevalent?

The odd time I've looked something up I've only ever gone to the NHS' website which I assume is trustworthy. I just realised that outside of your GP's clinic hrs the only other port of call is A&E. In the UK there's an NHS helpline. Is there anything here at all other than GP --> A&E

curlie-wurliexx

Red Sleeping Beauty wrote: »

The odd time I've looked something up I've only ever gone to the NHS' website which I assume is trustworthy. I just realised that outside of your GP's clinic hrs the only other port of call is A&E. In the UK there's an NHS helpline. Is there anything here at all other than GP --> A&E

what about the out of hours doctors, like South Doc or Care Doc ??

Red Sleeping Beauty

curlie-wurliexx wrote: »

what about the out of hours doctors, like South Doc or Care Doc ??

What are they?

RobFowl

Red Sleeping Beauty wrote: »

What are they?

They are out of hours GP services.

curlie-wurliexx

They have nurses that you can talk to if you just want some advice too, that's my mums job!
VHI also have a 24 hour number you can ring to speak with a nurse for advice for their members, maybe other health insurers offer something similar?