I have been an active user of internet searches for medical diagnosis from recent years. I have found most of information consistent across many webpages for a same medical query. I have also felt this as a better alternative to be aware of what might be going on inside our body.
As we are limited to weekends for visiting Medicos/ Doctors, this web based medical information platforms seem relatively a better idea. Also in case of medical emergencies quick internet searches may provide relief at times.
The only thing which is restricting me or my friends to rely on these kind of webpages is the legitimacy of the information we get from them.
As you pointed out in your post, it is critical to be wary of the information gleaned from the Internet, in respect to medicine in particular. If you find consistency across several sources, that is a relatively reliable indicator that the information is correct.
Personally, I have a list of trusted sources that I poll for a medical question. These include the CDC website, PubMed Central, Medline Plus (must have accompanying source), and foundation websites (American Liver Foundation, American Heart Association, etc.). Wikipedia searches must be followed up by a more technical source (never make a decision based solely off a Wikipedia entry. EVER.).
It sounds like you are truly thinking about this process, which is something I wish patients would do more of.
Let me know if you have any specific questions.
It depends on who is searching and which site we search?
I think the only authenticate soruce for medical diagnosis is the direct visit to physician clinic {physical assessment, lap test, x-rays.etc..}
Therefore, no one should take action,, such as treatment based on what is written in the Net.
however, if the individual is already diagnosed by doctor, and want to read more about the S&S, things to avoid, things to do, etc... then from this aspect the Internet is useful. considering the site which one is reading from, it should be authenticated site such as University hospitals.
As an MD, I will often use the internet for a range of reasons (the most frequent being to find an abstract that will give a patient the confidence that a new treatment I am proposing has merit) including to check out diagnoses with which I am not very familiar (e.g., carnitine deficiency). But I would never let the internet diagnose me or my patients: it is a useful adjunct for me when I am doctoring and for my doctors when I am a patient.
NOTHING CAN OR SHOULD REPLACE AN M.D. OR OTHER HEALTH CARE PROFESSIONAL'S YEARS OF LEARNING AND YEARS OF WORKING WITH REAL PATIENTS IN REAL WORLD SETTINGS.
I happen to have a particular problem with direct advertising to consumers that end with "so ask you doctor if DRUG X is good for you"...while an informed consumer is an ally, a brainwashed consumer can be dangerous
Interesting topic and hot area for research
For me I depend on few trusted medical website to catch medical information or to answer a question. (the main source is research articles).
However, there are accreditation for medical websites such as "Web Médica Acreditada" , "The Health on the Net Foundation Code of Conduct (HONcode)" ,"TRUSTe", "URAC" which address the reliability, credibility and privacy of web information. when I see this accreditation I can trust the website.
Ahmad
http://wma.comb.es/es/home.php
http://www.hon.ch/HONcode/
https://www.truste.com/consumer-resources/
https://www.urac.org/about-urac/about-urac/
"when I see this accreditation I can trust the website."
I do not think any accreditation system is going to be reliable enough, and even if it is at any one time, the website may change. When I look up the meaning or usage of a word, I usually check out 3 or 4 different dictionaries, and the same multiple independent checking should apply to websites as well.
I agree with you Anthony. However, we still can trust these accreditation such as (HON) with some extent. especially for famous medical websites.
Thanks
Thank You all for sharing some valuable information regrading the topic.
Some more answers / Suggestions / Comments are welcome !
Regards
Majid
For general clinical or drug information, the national library of medicine's MedlinePlus is a source I trust as unbiased:
https://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/
Mayo clinic also has particularly useful patient information. However, I echo the advice you have received in answers from physicians: internet searching is not a substitute for an actual diagnosis from a physician. In advance of a medical appointment, I find internet searching helpful in identifying questions to ask the doctor, identifying information about personal history or treatments that one should be sure to mention, and sometimes in deciding on the urgency with which to pursue medical care versus waiting to see if the problem resolves itself.
Regards,
Susan
I really believe there will be a moment where we don't need an MD to have a reliable diagnostic of a lot of conditions or diseases.
I think we have two questions to answer:
Answer 1: some indicators that the sites give reliable information are:
- Seals of sites as HON give a pretty good information on the quality system after the publication.
- Registration as a medical device under US or European laws;
- When the author is a famous care giver or a government and youknow the date of the last review of the document.
But one of the big mistake one can make is to search for a conclusion 'Do I have cancer? in place of an explanation: 'I cannot see anymore?"
Answer 2: when you are pretty confident in the translation of the observation of the situation to the words of the internet you can apply it. So when you are confident in your measuring devices or your own observation. Currently we already have sites stating when you have to go to the MD or can stay at home. This is already a medical advice.
Dear Majid,
I agree with Dr. Opler. NOTHING CAN OR SHOULD REPLACE AN M.D. OR OTHER HEALTH CARE PROFESSIONAL'S YEARS OF LEARNING AND YEARS OF WORKING WITH REAL PATIENTS IN THE REAL WORLD. So for diagnosis, I would never rely upon any website. However, once diagnosis is made, I find the CDC's website of particular interest for looking up some additional and reliable information. I am convinced that the information they provide is trustworthy and up-to-date!
For parasitoses, they also provide a diagnostic assistance, which is meant for laboratories (NOT patients). Labs can send in pictures of the parasite found. CDC will then try to provide an official report of their findings.
Regards,
Idzi
http://www.cdc.gov/DiseasesConditions/
http://www.cdc.gov/dpdx/dxassistance.html
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