Why I am all in favour of Dr Google

COMPUTERS have the power to educate and enlighten. But sometimes this empowerment can be a curse.

Research published this week appears to show we’re in the grips of an epidemic of cyberchondria, with patients who self-diagnose by going online turning up at their doctor’s surgery convinced they have a particular condition.

Every doctor has had to spend time reassuring patients who’ve come in waving a printout from the internet, convinced that they have some rare disease, when in fact the truth is far more prosaic than smallpox.

While I understand why some doctors lament the rise of patients using the internet, I actually think it’s had positive effects, not least starting the conversation.

And if the problem is in fact something complex, it means patients will already have spent time researching and understanding it, so the conversations you can have in the consulting room are far more advanced than if you were explaining the condition from basics. It also allows patients with longstanding conditions to become experts because they can keep abreast of any advances.

So I actively encourage my patients to spend time investigating their conditions online, with one important caveat: avoid discussion forums.

Yes, these have the potential to be a source of support and information, but there is also much misinformation — and it’s next to impossible to sift through what is good advice and what is bad.

Also, the kinds of people who dominate these forums are often a self-selecting group who aren’t necessarily representative of everyone with the condition. Those who post frequently give a warped view because those who have got better have moved on and don’t post.

But I think the internet generally has changed the medical consultation for the better, making it more collaborative.

Yes, it’s a shift from the old ‘doctor knows best’ approach, but this new kind of doctorpatient relationship can only be a good thing.