Cyberchondria: A side-effect of digitizing medical information
As online search engines are becoming increasingly utilized as a source of medical advice, patients are finding that their common and often benign symptoms are misidentified as something more sinister by the information they find. The compulsion to search for answers and the resulting health anxiety has been termed as: “cyberchondria.”
It is no surprise that cyberchondria has become an emerging area of research. As humans, we are curious by nature and are driven to find explanations for phenomena that we are unfamiliar with. With the rapid adoption of digital health, the reliance on web solutions for medical needs have increased in popularity.
While there is no denying the utility of certain digital solutions when it comes to medical diagnoses and understanding one’s symptoms, online searches often provide little to no benefits and may instead lead to increased anxiety. However, when patients suspect a medical concern, the need for answers becomes pressing.
An online search for symptoms does not substitute for a comprehensive clinical evaluation. One reason is that online searches will find results based on keywords that have been creatively coded to pull up the most relevant sites rather than the most accurate diagnosis.
Patients also tend to focus on either the least or the most alarming conditions found. Furthermore, even if users find a benign diagnosis in their search, they might feel as if they are not adequately searching hard enough. As research on rare conditions emerges, patients will find studies and articles with the faintest connection between a vague symptom and a life-changing diagnosis.
This is even the case for medical learners and professionals alike. Ask any health-care student how anxious they feel if they experience a symptom that might even remotely be related to topics they learned. It is so common that it has its own term: “medical student syndrome.”
Stepping away from the keyboard can be an essential step to a better quality of life. That is not to say patients should not seek medical advice should they feel the need to. It is always best, rather, to seek consultation with a licensed professional to comprehensively assess your symptoms in the context of your personal health. Family physicians and pharmacists are widely accessible within the community, and should be relied on for medical expertise.
Although it may be possible that “smart” computers will be able to make effective diagnosis and treatment plans, the technology to replace medical professionals remains in the distant future. With patients increasingly locked down at home due to the COVID-19 pandemic, more and more people will be relying on the internet for information and advice. Health is no exception, and users should be aware of the dangers of succumbing to cyberchondria.
Peter Zhang