Should You Diagnose Yourself Online? Here ’s What Doctors Think

Online symptom checkers are the digital version of the DIY doctor. Plug in what’s ailing you — headache, stomach pains, weird skin rash — and you get a list of what’s (likely) causing the problem. The key word is ‘likely.’ Depending on which version you use, that list could be spot on, or it could lead you astray — luring you into a false sense of reassurance that nothing is wrong, or sending you into a spiral of anxiety about a serious, and possibly even fatal, condition. None of that is new for web-based data searches. But because health information could literally mean the difference between life and death, does checking symptoms online even make sense for the patient? Not surprisingly, doctors were initially wary of digital diagnosers and questioned how effective they were. But given that online searches are the default for almost everything people are curious about — from home repairs to recipes and even disturbing medical symptoms — physicians have come around to the idea that their patients will be doing some sleuthing on their own. “We recognize that knowledge is power,” says Dr. Michael Munger, president of the American Academy of Family Physicians who practices in Overland Park, Kansas. “In many cases information is a good thing as part of the overall collaboration between patients and their physicians and care teams. I think the angst comes in around the fact that some of the resources availab...
Source: TIME: Health - Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Tags: Uncategorized healthytime medicine onetime Source Type: news