With the widespread, almost democratized availability of information on the internet, patients and doctors have greater access to data that can help them with their medical needs and duties. Indeed, the “Eternal September” of 1993 has changed many industries by introducing a new medium to harness and utilize. However, this easy access to information has its downsides, namely the fact that experts of certain fields such as healthcare are no longer considered the sole custodians of their expertise. Thanks to the internet, medicine is not what it once was, with self-diagnosis gaining influence on patients and their medical opinions.
Patients on the Internet
Self-diagnosis can manifest in many forms, from the usage of self-help kits, symptom checkers (admittedly the most reputable of these examples) to the simple usage of internet search engines. The availability of medical information online has both empowered patients while putting them at risk.
Without proper guidance, a simple Google search for “arm pains” might result in a patient concluding that they have cancer. Conversely, this might result in underestimating symptoms of serious diseases, with the effects of long-term illnesses such as tumors being brushed off.
Mental illness is another factor that can be distorted by self-diagnosis, or at the normalization of trivializing language. “I have so much OCD,” for example, can be uttered by a neurologically-sound person when describing their perfectionist habits, trivializing the actual detrimental effects of OCD in people who have to endure it. Conversely, a clinically depressed individual might spiral further into suffering due to diagnosing their illness as mere sadness or “weak-willed personality.”
On the subject of medication, self-diagnosis is dangerous in how it can waste valuable time and resources on people who do not need the prescribed medication.
The Opinion of Physicians
Physicians can discuss issues of diagnosis with their patients. While the internet contains enough information to provide details about potential symptoms, patients shouldn’t use this accessible data to jump to their own conclusions. As custodians of patient health, doctors can describe the risks of such analysis and encourage their patients to scrutinize the information that they receive, lest there be drastic health issues in the future. You can discuss these issues with fellow physicians on a medical cruise ship, along with the latest developments in the medical world.