Searching online from a patient perspective can make you a better doctor

As a pediatric allergist, I treat several conditions that commonly affect children, including asthma, food allergies, eczema and allergic rhinitis. Almost everyone knows someone affected by some form of allergic condition, which makes for frequent questions from families, referring providers, and the public at large. Early in my career, I noticed that many patients (and even colleagues in other specialties) were asking me questions that were either outdated or born entirely out of myth. Do kids with egg allergy need to avoid the MMR or influenza vaccine? If someone has a shellfish allergy, are they going to have an allergic reaction to radiocontrast media? Can you test for food allergies through IgG testing? Does a parent pass their own food/medication/venom allergy on to their children? Does milk/gluten allergy cause autism? These are but a few examples of questions that I routinely receive (by the way — the answer to all of them is NO). I soon became interested in understanding the evidence behind these interesting questions and spent a lot of time reviewing PubMed for peer-reviewed articles. I learned that most were previously addressed and refuted, but the evidence had yet to reach the mainstream. In some cases, there was no evidence at all. Continue reading ... Your patients are rating you online: How to respond. Manage your online reputation: A social media guide. Find out how.
Source: Kevin, M.D. - Medical Weblog - Category: General Medicine Authors: Tags: Physician Patients Source Type: blogs