Cyberchondria

[larrynz]

Doctors are dealing with an increasing number of New Zealanders who have diagnosed themselves - often incorrectly - using the internet.

It has been dubbed cyberchondria: a condition that causes people to search the internet for illnesses and treatments that relate to their symptoms.

"Certainly, patients researching their symptoms have become more common," said Dr Peter Foley, chairman of the Medical Association.

"That is not going to go away, and doctors have to accept it as something they need to be aware of and manage appropriately."

Foley said the phenomenon was making consultations more complex, as doctors often had to explain to patients why they didn't need certain tests or why a particular diagnosis wasn't correct.

Health information site everybody.co.nz is in the top 10 of lifestyle sites visited by New Zealanders.

"There are plenty of disclaimers on the site to say visitors should absolutely not rely on only that though, but many people prepare themselves by viewing information before going to the doctor," said content manager Richard French.


Research in 2001 from the British Medical Association estimated around 10-15 per cent of patients had accessed some kind of information on the internet before visiting the doctor.

[Blossom/Jackie W.]

You know Larry; I can believe it. Self "diagnosing" is one thing and in my opinion NOT good. Looking up info to try and answer a question is another. Same thing with once you've BEEN diagnosed...it's good to learn as much as you can. Part of the problem lies in the "reliability" of the source as well.

Remember Soup A & B? There's a lot of snake oil salesmen types out there.

[larrynz]

I thought the warning worth passing on.
I have never diagnosed myself, where I find the net handy is once diagnosed you can take the doctors information and translate it into easy to understand information, you can also learn more about how to deal with it in lay terms. These days your doc is often busy and unable to spend much time with you.

[LindaNY]

larrynz said:

I thought the warning worth passing on.
I have never diagnosed myself, where I find the net handy is once diagnosed you can take the doctors information and translate it into easy to understand information, you can also learn more about how to deal with it in lay terms. These days your doc is often busy and unable to spend much time with you.

I'm in total agreement with you Larry.

We lay people may know a lot, but have not had the in depth education, theory and practice that a good dr. has.

So in my opinion a little knowledge is a very dangerous thing.