Everyone's a Google Doctor

Everyone’s a Google Doctor

Before the Internet medical information of any kind was very difficult for the average person to find. Patients had to rely fully on the knowledge of their doctors to make the most accurate diagnosis, and find the most effective treatment plans to meet their overall health care needs. Medical information was once only available in medical textbooks, and journals that were not accessible to the general public. Now, however things have changed. With the Internet, the general public now have access to citations of more then 12 million medical articles online. Which has lead to many patients being an active part of their own medical treatment as well was their physician’s continuing education on new medical advances. The Internet has changed the kind of relationship that is experienced between Doctors and patients. Previously, patients would, for the most part, follow doctor’s orders blindly as they were the experts and therefore to be trusted. Now, however, patients consider themselves somewhat of an expert after a few Google searches. They enter into appointments; armed with information and want to be an active part of the decision making process with regards their treatment plans. The Internet has changed the way the health care system currently functions, patients have becomes more and more like clients, information has been made accessible to more people, and has created more support for patients and more way to become informed about medical options, and a much wider medical community both for physicians, as well as patients.
By 2002, an estimated 100 million Americans had obtained information related to their health from the Internet, and used that information as a basis for their health care decisi...

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...seful and reliable and what is simply an individual positing an opinion. The medical field is changing as well because patients believe them to be more informed and are demanding to be a more active part of the medical choices that were once made on their behalf by their doctors. Patients are demanding doctors take the time to include them as well as consider recommendations they have independently found online. When physicians have not taken into account the information the patients have found online, many patients begin to second guess their doctors and seek both more online information as well as another opinion from a new doctor. With all of this information, both physicians and patients need to seek information from the Internet with a critical eye, and a mind used to decipher the difference between helpful and hindrance when reading about medical information.