Treating generation Google
But information on something as dangerous as STDs while just scrolling and munching on chips? It’s not really the best way to go about medical relief.
Obviously then, many doctors are wary of this bunch. “It’s a double-edged sword. In 75 per cent of the cases it helps but the rest can be tricky to handle. Because these patients gather certain notions from the Internet that they don’t let go of. So we need to double up as a psychologist in these cases.”
But youngsters say there’s a very legitimate reason why some prefer the Web over an actual doctor.
Neidhi Kumar, who works at Google, gives the other side of the story. “I once had a skin problem and I visited a s pecialist. He prescribed me medicine but there was no improvement, even after weeks. Then I posted my symptoms online and found that it was because of certain hormonal changes. I informed him about the same and he was suddenly embarrassed. He had told me that I had acne which I didn’t. Since then I have stopped visiting doctors in Hyderabad. Some don’t even listen to you properly.”
But rheumatologist Dr S. Ramakrishnan stresses on how important it is to consult a specialist, “For a disease like dengue, 10 people may show different symptoms. In such cases, the Internet can be of very little help.”
Considering how many people read up online not just about drugs but also doctors, it would be safe to say that the trend is likely to continue. Dr Hemanth concludes, “It’s a good trend as long as patients read the content online objectively, just for reference. It becomes problematic when a patient reads about a disease, then interprets the content on his own. This subjective interpretation is wrong.”
Some doctors don’t even listen to you properly
NEIDHI KUMAR