Can we trust ‘Dr Google’?

Should we trust an online diagnosis? It’s so tempting to use ‘Doctor Google’ – especially if we can’t get a doctor’s appointment – but it’s important not to trust everything we read

With roughly one in four of us currently on a waiting list to see our GP, it can be all too easy to have a quick check online if you’re worried about your symptoms and looking for answers. If that sounds like you, you’re not alone. More than 100 million health-related Google internet searches were made in the UK in just 12 months, according to a study by Benenden Health. But when it comes to selfdiagnosing, is ‘Dr Google’ friend or foe?

What’s wrong with looking online?

“When we have a health concern it can often be time-consuming to try to get a GP appointment so the natural instinct for many is to Google symptoms online then self-diagnose,” says GP Dr Ross Perry, Medical Director of CosmedicsUK. “You’re presented with a wealth of information on the internet which is often written by individuals who aren’t qualified, and what they say can cause worry and distress.

“Occasionally patients can be correct in their findings, but more often than not they’ve whipped themselves into a frenzy because of something misleading they’ve read.”

Are there any reliable websites?

Not all websites are created equal, and there are those that can be trusted to give you balanced, accurate information. For example, the NHS has a list of symptoms, conditions and medicines (www.nhs.uk) and the BBC is also useful, with an interactive first-aid course and an A-Z of health topics (www.bbc.co.uk/health).

That said, many symptoms can be behind a huge number of conditions. A sore throat, for example, could be anything from a cold or throat infection, right up to something alarming such as cancer, so without speaking to an expert about your symptoms it’s possible that even a reputable website could leave you feeling spooked.

The best option is to try to see a health professional, but there is other help available if you can’t get a face-toface appointment.