What doctors think about ‘Medical Googlers’.
Medical Googler - a person who researches their symptoms, illness, and doctors on the internet before seeking treatment. Time magazine recently highlighted one doctor’s distaste for such a practice. The article, written by Scott Haig, Clinical Professor in Orthopedic Surgery at Columbia University of Physicians and Surgeons, focused on his experience with one such ‘medical googler’. It was obvious from the start that he wasn’t keen on her information seeking methods. “We had never met, but as we talked on the phone I knew she was Googling me. The way she drew out her conjunctions, just a little, that was the tip off — stalling for time as new pages loaded. It was barely audible, but the soft click-click of the keyboard in the background confirmed it. Oh, well, it’s the information age.” “[She]…had chosen me because she had researched my education, read a paper I had written, determined my university affiliation and knew where I lived. It was a little too much — as if she knew how stinky and snorey I was last Sunday morning. Yes, she was simply researching important aspects of her own health care. Yes, who your surgeon is certainly affects what your surgeon does. But I was unnerved by how she brandished her information, too personal and just too rude on our first meeting.” Luckily not all doctors think like this. Another doctor, writing for Salon.com takes an opposing view. Pediatrician Rahul K. Parikh argues that Haig’s article is… “…ignoring every single Internet trend in healthcare over the past decade. The medical establishment, in fact, has taken way too much time to understand that the Internet is a disruptive innovation that has overturned the status quo. It has leveled the playing field between expert and novice — in this case, doctor and patient. While some doctors like Haig may find that challenge threatening to their status as an expert, the Web is now providing the kind of information doctors need to be aware of if we want to continue to be good at our job, and the kind of trends that can help patients be smarter and healthier.” and suggests that… “…doctors should make it a standard practice to recommend…[accurate, high-quality health sites]…to each and every patient. Besides reducing the randomness of a Web search, this can reinforce a physician’s advice during a visit, which is especially helpful, as studies show that patients typically remember no more than half of what their doctor tells them.” I don’t know about you but I’m on Dr Parikh’s side of this argument. I’m a ‘medical googler’ and proud of it. I believe in taking responsibility for my health which means visiting my medical doctor as an empowered, well-informed patient. How about you? (source)
Good post.
I’m on both sides of the fence on this one. The problem with Googling medical information is unless you are sure you are going to a reputable site, you can be steered in a very wrong direction.
Because anyone can set up shop and claim to be an expert, people are being conned into believing things that aren’t true.
In my opinion, the healthcare consumer, in order to be taken seriously by the medical professional, has an obligation to him or herself to ensure that the sites they go to are good sites. That means doing your research: who sponsors it, who is writing the information, is anyone, are they selling anything, and so on.
you raised an important issue here.
i am a kind of a medical “googler’ as well. i can’t really help because of my various blogs.
i agree with the second part that as patients we should go to our doctor as an empowered, informed individual about our condition.
we should tell our doctors what we know from “googling” so that the doctors can reinforce it if what we found was true and then be corrected if we found the wrong, misleading infos.
i believe doctors still know best but it wouldn’t hurt if patients read about the condition first or in this case surf the web first before consulting the doctor.
i mean i cant really help myself from medical googling becase I have various medical/health blogs.
It is hard for the average person with little medical knowledge to determine which sites provide valid and reliable information and which do not. This is where the medical profession need to jump in and help people access the information.
But that will only happen when doctors are open to the idea…which isn’t always the case.
I have seen the benefits and disadvantages of googling medical information in my job as a nurse. Patient and relatives have come to me with suggestions and ideas – some that are valid, some that I’ve had to redirect. I always discuss with them where the information was obtained and have on occasion looked at the website with them to determine it’s validity and authority.
It’s a fascinating topic and one that will become more and more complex as the internet and information technology grows.
I’m really rather puzzled by the assertion that this is a new phenomenon.
The fact of the matter is that doctors have always had to suffer curious patients.
Sometimes they come across genuinely curious and intelligent individuals who want to take a well-measured approach to their own health care. These are the types of people who look forward to their future well being in the same way as they do retirement…investing in well documented mutual funds and 401k plans.
Alternatively, doctors also run across imbeciles who still believe their grandfather’s insistence that spreading mayonnaise on your scalp cures baldness. This is the type of person who “invests” in lottery tickets.
You’re only as good at googling as you are intelligent about your approach to information.
As such, the accessibility of the internet only exaggerates the type of personalities that doctors have had to contend with since the first doctor said “Open up and say ‘ah,’” and the first patient said, “Why should I?”
Haig’s position on subject matter not only turns a blind eye to current state of technology, but also shows a completely naive point of view about how doctors deal with patients in general.
Alternatively, Parikh’s view of medical googling as something that has “leveled the playing field” stretches credulity.
Patients can now ask more intelligent questions about alternative treatments or feel more comfortable about seeking a second professional opinion. Ultimately, however, individuals with real medical problems either must follow the doctor’s advice or go home and try rubbing condiments on themselves.
stu, I agree. this is no where near a new phenomenon. what’s different now, though, is the avalanche of information and mis-information that is available at the click of the mouse.
it’s what the patients and doctors do with the information that’s interesting now…
and obviously, each individual doctor is going to see ‘medical googlers’ through their own experiences and perspectives.
I agree with some of the comments above — I think the medical information available online can be very helpful, in patient education, for learning about available procedures, finding a physician, etc but….of course the quality of the source is EVERYTHING.
sg
Doctors may encourage thier patients to learn about medicine, if they are mentally stable. What doctors are more opposed to are pts. they see demanding a script for a drug they saw advertised and will accept nothing else. That vexes doctors.