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Study finds quick internet search of symptoms before doctor visit can lead to better treatment

September 1, 2018

We’ve all let Dr Google diagnose us at one point or another.

We've all let Dr Google diagnose us at one point or another, sometimes with mixed results.

However, research has found a quick internet search before visiting the hospital can lead to better treatment, but experts warn it's not without its catches.

Dr Richard Medlicott says some risks that come with internet searches include misdiagnosis or jumping to conclusions.

"The internet is a great source for empowering people with information," he said.

"[But] if you see a symptom like fatigue which is really common and think you've got something like widespread cancer or aids then that's going to make you pretty worried when you're just too busy or stressed out."

However, if you're brave enough to go looking, a study has found it can do some good.

A report by the Medical Journal of Australia found that patients who turned up to the emergency department after searching their symptoms had a more informed discussion with doctors on the whole, leading to better care.

Dr Tom Mulholland says the findings are positive for healthcare.

"Overall, the net is a great thing. People can look and get an idea.

"They come in well-informed, they ask good questions and the challenge for clinicians is to accept it and to not be threatened."

In the past year, top symptom searches on Google by Kiwis included flu, fever, diabetes and pneumonia with cancer symptoms easily topping the country's most frequently searched medical malady.

Dr Mulholland says it's not just patients searching either.

"As doctors, we don't know everything about everything so the other day a patient came in and had this weird syndrome, so I went to Dr Google and got a bit of a background."

But Dr Medlicott has a warning to those who don’t see a real doctor due to a reliance on internet diagnosis could be fatal.

"If they have a symptom that seems relatively benign – say, bleeding from the bottom, and they convince themselves they've got piles when in fact they've got cancer that would be a concern."

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