I definitely have a stomach ulcer. I plugged my symptoms right into Google and that word popped up line after line. ULCER! ULCER! ULCER! I panicked.
Medical resources have skyrocketed in popularity. Dr. Oz, a heart surgeon who got his start on “The Oprah Winfrey Show” received his own talk show. “The Doctors,” a panel of professionals in talk-show format soon followed suit. Now the modern-day Internet craze is boosting activity to web sites offering medical advice.
According to the International Telecommunications Union, about 77 percent of United States citizens use the Internet. As more of our parents friend us on Facebook, it is increasingly obvious that computer skills are trickling up through Generation X and beyond while the health obsession trickles down to the youngest of the dieters and hypochondriacs. With these quick and painless resources at our fingertips, we can finally get medical attention without an inconvenient, costly trip to the doc, right?
Well, let me preface this by saying I am familiar with these sites. I suffer from panic stress disorder and while I have learned to control panic attacks, I question all components of my health. A medical degree is a huge highlighter for a future husband, simply because living with a doctor could help settle frequent questions and worries (paging doctor hottie)!
What’s my excuse? Not long ago, both of my parents fell ill within two years of each other. I watched, I worried, and I applied their conditions (hereditary or not) to myself. But I’m noticing a trend in the on-line search and diagnosis among all Quinnipiac students, especially as the seasons change and the snow starts to fall. And just like the Internet, it’s spreading like the plague. Medical professionals aren’t convinced that these sites are praiseworthy.
Peg Williams, an assistant clinical supervisor at a primary care practice in Connecticut, interacts with about 110 patients daily. She has watched the progression of this trend develop before her eyes. “Self diagnosis has definitely increased,” she said. Williams remembers years ago when patients would compare themselves to
family members. More and more, they sit down for an assessment at the clinic and attribute their concerns to the Internet. “Patients come in with the information sheets [from a web site] or start the conversation with me by saying, ‘I looked on line and the computer says that I have blank,’” she said.
Patrice Horgan has been a registered nurse for 29 years and for 23, has worked in a large multi-specialty group practice in Massachusetts. She notices self-diagnosis on the rise “especially in populations who are more electronically inclined,” such as her son, Adam’s classmates at QU.
Some students use it to diagnose their cold symptoms. “I told myself I had mono for the longest time because I was so tired and my throat was sore, but the Internet lied,” said Rachel Battino, a sophomore who ended up at the doctor. Senior, Mallory Dixon would look up her symptoms frequently and was convinced she had the H1N1 “swine flu” virus when it was all over the news. “It kind of fueled my fear and anxiety,” she said.
It seems we could point a finger at the trailblazer, WebMD, the first popular medical site. In 2005, it was designed to educate its readers about their own bodies with “the best health information possible.” Sounds heroic, sure, but is it hurting us mentally more than it is giving us physically?
Due to features such as the “WebMD Symptom Checker,” it is becoming easier to draw potentially wrong conclusions about one’s health. The symptom checker allows anyone with Internet access to click on a region of the body, then a specific body part, and pick out the experienced symptoms from a long index. I can complete this test in under a minute only to be faced with a frighteningly large list suggesting what, specifically, is wrong with my 21-year-old body. Ailments range from common cold to cancer. Where does that put me? Well, I can start the test again, but with the addition of fear and anxiety to my symptoms.
Dr. Dave Pazer, a medical physician and owner of his own practice in Ridgefield, Conn., believes the emotional aspect of a patient makes self-diagnosis a problem. “A lawyer should never represent himself because they are too wound up in the dynamics and emotions of their own case,” Dr. Pazer said. “The same is true for a physician taking care of himself…even worse for [students] to manage their own medical issues.”Horgan agrees that the average person is unqualified to diagnose themselves. “Clinical judgment is a skill that is developed over years, and online information is not a substitute for this art,” she said.
WebMD has become so popular that country singer, Taylor Swift graces the cover of the November/December edition of WebMD Magazine. The contents of the magazine are geared slightly more toward young women, focusing on fitness, food and even shopping. It resembles the Rodale-owned Women’s Health, but differs in a major way: WebMD Magazine relies on the Internet to lead the masses to interest in print- the search engine keywords, the intrigued click, and finally the symptom checker.
To some doctors, medical sites can be a useful resource for their patients to fully comprehend the diagnosis agreed upon during an appointment. For example, Dr. Pazer finds it to be beneficial for those with diabetes to remain motivated to treat it for the rest of their lives. “In some situations, patients who already have diagnosis may be highly motivated to investigate new information and treatment modalities in order to treat their known illnesses,” he said. “However, they are far more likely to run into misleading than useful information.”
Internet access may not be completely to blame. Williams sees increased self- diagnosis as a direct effect of pharmaceutical advertising as well. “These commercials have infiltrated our daily lives,” she said. “Patients now come into the office demanding particular meds that they heard about on TV, whether or not it is appropriate for them.”
Sure the suggestions made by these sites sound misleading, vague and unfair, but take a scroll down to the very fine print at the bottom of every page on the site. It reads, “WebMD does not provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment.” Doctor Google may lead us to these sites, and Doctor HTML may come up with some scary possibilities, but ultimately, we are typing the symptoms, we are drawing the conclusions, and we are not doctors. I am officially diagnosing my generation with a severe case of self-diagnosis.
“The optimal situation will always be an open and honest relationship of the physician and the patient working together to understand the diagnosis and the treatment,” Dr. Pazer said.
And what became of my WebMD induced panic? I went to the gastroenterologist. From my reading, I understood right away why he tested my breath for H.Pylori bacteria, but was surprised to know it was not present. I do not have an ulcer. I am on medicine for acid reflux and the burning feeling in my stomach has ceased. One hour, and a $20 co-pay can get your worries under control and your symptoms taken care of. Use the Internet to learn, but if you seek out the worst-case scenario on a website, you will find it.
Photo Credits:
www.greysgabble.com
www.internetclinic.net
www.fanpop.com