What information are you looking for?

Many Americans seek medical advice via the Internet. There are many popular medical and health websites to choose from. There are probably more that will be developed in the years to come, and as technology advances. People from all ages, and cultures actively use the Internet for answers to health related topics. Unfortunatly, some take it upon themselves to diagnose themselves rather than use the information obtained for a reference and see a doctor, as well as share the information with their doctor. I have looked online recently for a health related question that I had. After I typed in the information I was asked if I wanted to get an answer from a doctor whom was online. Well it turned out that they wanted me to pay with my credit card to get the answer. Of course, I didn't. I figured I'd just wait to see my doctor and ask my question then. It made me wonder just how many people really pay for services like this. They do have a sliding fee scale at some places for those who don't have insurance, so to me it's a crazy idea to pay for online advice, plus who's to say if these are really doctors. Another search that caught my attention was that there are online doctors that will write a prescription, and ship it out like the next day or two. Is that even legal? So let me ask those who would like to answer, what website would you trust the most for health related information? And would you diagnose yourself or share your information with your doctor?

As we all now Web MD the web site is a site where common people can receive information regarding health care. One of the main concern is will the internet change the way of medicine. Will the doctor patients practice go back into the early 1800’s when the doctor visit the patients at home. According to Dr. Paolo Zamboni he believe that some patients who share their information online through email, social networking, and discussion boards are “in some case altering the research agenda in fields such as cancer, with alternative medicine and multiple sclerosis” (Branswell, 2010, Para 5). The internet health care has changed the way patients think about their symptoms and the medicine they take.
Most drug use for cancer patients needs to be tested first by using experimental drug or therapies. So science can make sure they are save and useful to each patient (Branswell 2010, Para 6). One drug that might work for one patient with the same diagnose may not work on another patient. Patients use the internet to become more informed of their health and or conditions. This “access to health care information has changed how we think about our symptoms and the way we think about medicine”(Warner, 2010 Para 2).
There has been many programs like My Health info and Google Health. Site like this help people save trips to the hospital, because they can track their blood pressure or cholesterol over time. The iphone or the iphone stethoscope has over 3,000 applications that deals with health (Warner, 2010 Para 1). Where a patient can mange his or her medical history and Medications. We could connect a site to Web MD that would change the health care industry forever. Find top physician in their operating field. That willing to be online doctors were they consult with their patience. Even psychologist can prosper from online patients care. Cutting waiting room times, because the doctors will talk to their patients online. Like an home health care over the internet.
Why it could work
 Live highly recommend physician and psychologist could have live but private chat rooms.
 Doctor patient access to record keeping
 Doctor can view a chart of patient without being present and give them feed back, and what their best options could be.
 especially for someone planning for surgeries online they can find the best physician possible
 Get two to three opinion from physician in on day or hour.
 See feedback of doctor other patients
 Big for psychologist who can charge patients per chat.
 Can open a stream line of doctor over the world.
 Are some doctor doing this already?
 Future of medicine surgery over the internet. Will it add or cut cost of Medicare.
 How this can help solve our health care problems
If have any feed back on how this can help our heath care problem in the worl feel free to express your thoughts and feelings.

Can you be a Cyberchondriac?

During our class presentation last week most of the class argued that they would not self diagnose over the Internet because of the great amounts of serious conditions that can come up. The majority felt more comfortable going to a physicians for answers and felt that it was a smarter choice. A recent study showed that 8 of 10 Internet users were using the Internet to answer health related questions and that many of them were searching websites to find people with the same conditions as them.
I don't know if any of you heard about Tim Stauffer a baseball player from the San Diego Padres who diagnosed himself with appendicitis on his iPhone. He typed in his symptoms on his Web Md app and after hours of pain he decided to go to the hospital where later on that day had his appendix removed. To Stauffer his Web MD app who he rarely uses was a life saver but unfortunately for others the search results that come up in sites such as Web Md or Mayo Clinic are not correct and can lead the individual to become stressed and believe everything they read about the condition they were given. My question is when do you know that you are using the health information you found constructively and when do you realize you have crossed the line? I know many of us have used the Internet to self diagnose but how many actually believe that they have that condition and start getting paranoid? As mentioned earlier in last weeks blog a cyberchondriac is someone who relies on the Internet to self diagnose medical conditions.
So how do you know if your a cyberchondriac?
There are four signs that can let you know.
Do you go visit medical websites to get relief from anxiety?
Does the time spent surfing the Internet for health symptoms interfere with your life?
Do you look for reassurance in chat rooms or social networks?
Do you consistently visit your doctor because you think you have all these medical conditions?

Are you a Cyberchondriac?

The rising cost of healthcare and convenience of the internet have led many people to depend on information found on medical websites. While I find it to be a positive proactive approach to monitoring one's own health, it can also be detrimental if the information is misused. The term cyberchondriac is described as a person who relies on the internet to self-diagnose medical conditions. In most cases, cyberchondriacs become obsessed with the symptoms and possible medical conditions listed. The anxiety and stress exacerbates the initial symptoms, hence contributing to a dominoe effect and constant cycle of google searches.

Medical websites are great tools when used to supplement regular doctor's visits. A physician can help to clarify the findings and provide a concrete answer that websites may not provide. Does the convenience of the internet outweigh the expertise of a trained physician? We'd love to hear your thoughts.

Are patient-provider relationships at risk?

Patients who look to the internet (also known as e-patients) are more educated on health related issues and their own health. E-patients use the internet on a wide range of medical related topics. Many patients find the information the same or even better than the information provided by their primary care physicians. While some patients do not discuss the information they find, others communicate what they learn with their doctors.The patients that do indeed communicate with their providers find the information to be of better quality. Primary care providers should consider that patients are using the World Wide Web as a source of medcial and health information, as well as taking suggestions from medical websites. As a result of this information from the internet, patient-provider relationship may change and medical providers could face a new challenge as their patients continue to obtain health information from various websites without sharing any info with the doctors. Others may potentially turn to the internet for care without consulting their providers.

The biggest problem with internet health sites is the risk if miss leading information

Many people look to the internet to help them understand many things better including health care. The problem with looking on the internet for health care is that it can be very miss leading and force someone to believe that their problem is smaller or bigger then what it is. I mean honesty do you think doctors would spend the amount of time that it take to learn and understand the human body if something as simple as typing in your symptoms onto a online database will diagnose health care problems? Don’t get me wrong its perfect for learning more about a problem that a professional doctor diagnose you with. But the problem is people are using sites like WEB Md for first diagnoses.

WHY?

Many people use these types of sites because they do not have health insurance to go to the doctor. In 2006, the percentage of Americans without health insurance was 15.8%, or approximately 47 million uninsured people (http://sickothemovie.com/_media/SiCKO_sickofactoids.pdf).Most of these people don’t have no other way to a least try and figure out whats wrong with them. When I went to webmd and typed in stomach pain 171 different problems that I could have had come up. I think this is where the problem come in at. It may be easy for webmd to figure out what symptoms go along with a disease but it don’t know how to eliminate the diseases that are not your problem. Something professional doctors can do.

can health site case more harm than good

One of the main concern is will the internet change the way of medicine. Will the doctor patients practice go back into the early 1800’s when the doctor visit the patients at home, Because people will fear to go outside because of the internet. According to Dr. Paolo Zamboni he believe that some patients who share their information online through email, social networking, and discussion boards are “in some case altering the research agenda in fields such as cancer, with alternative medicine and multiple sclerosis.” The internet health care has changed the way patients think about their symptoms and the medicine they take. Most drug use for cancer patients needs to be tested first by using experimental drug or therapies. So science can make sure they are save and useful to each patient. One drug that might work for one patient with the same diagnose may not work on another patient.


According to marketing Charts “More than 50% of youth ages 13-24 uses the internet for health information.” According to a recent survey by pew internet and American life project about 61% of adult Americans look online for health information. It help if the patients work in conjunction with his or her doctor. So that you’ll know that your on the same page. 20% People who search the internet for health information are called e-patients. Some of these e-patients have disabilities and chronic conditions who uses these site more than others. They actually meet up on the internet and social networking site and talk to medical experts as well as other patients. These e-patients don’t always share their all their finding with their doctor. When the end up with different results , because they’re nervous about challenging with what the doctor told them and what they found. To avoid this problem you could used internet sites that are directed for doctors so that you don’t find contradictory information.


I think that Some patients use the internet to become more informed of their health and or conditions. There has been many programs like My Health info and Google Health. Site like this help people save trips to the hospital, because they can track their blood pressure or cholesterol over time. The iphone or the iphone stethoscope has over 3,000 applications that deals with health. Where a patient can mange his or her medical history and Medications.

Can diagnosing over the internet cause stress?

Self diagnosing through the Internet can be an easy way to come up with a fast diagnosis without leaving home, but with the amounts of information that exist on the web finding reliable sources can be tricky. When looking up symptoms you are experiencing you might become overwhelmed at the amount of serious conditions that you might think you may have, but in reality it could be anything as simple as the common cold. Why stress yourself out with thoughts that can have you feeling that the end is near. Instead visit your physician and let him do his job remember you are not a doctor. Now if your doctor has given you a diagnosis then its a whole different story. The Internet can be useful to look up information to educate yourself, and can serve as a second opinion. Just make sure that the sites you visit are reliable and not just any made up page from someone claiming to be a doctor.

So what are your thoughts people? do you believe that some individuals rely too much on the Internet for self diagnosing? do you think that some people stress out about certain conditions they think they may have? What about using the Internet for a second opinion? Do you think its a good idea?

Who Do You Trust for Online Health Information?

 While surfing the internet, do you find yourself second-guessing the validity of the articles that you read or just simply take it at face value?  I strongly suggest you consider taking a closer look at the source from which the material was derived.

 Unfortunately, there are sites designed to market specific treatments and pharmaceuticals to its viewers. This can pose as a serious threat to your health if you attempt to self-diagnose at home. While it is our responsibility as individuals to take a proactive stance in terms of health care, we must take the time to identify and evaluate the validity of the source.

I am happy to mention that there are many scholarly sources such as MayoClinic and Centers for Disease Control which have links to other credible sites that may help you in your search.

What are your thoughts regarding the deliberate online marketing tactics used by some pharmaceutical companies to gain your business? Do you think the dialogue presented by MedicalFanatics has helped you to closely critique the information listed on websites?

Introducing the Medical Fanatics!!

Our group consists of Ateshia, Jackie, Kendall, Sheronda and Tania.
Throughout the semester, we will explore the impact internet sources such as Wikipedia and WebMd have on the health of the community. More specifically, we will address both sides of the debate and provide reference to scholarly sources to support the arguments.

The two main arguments are:

Pro
The internet sites are a great tool because they allow patients to make more informed decisions regarding their healthcare. Patients can compare treatment plans and review protocol before consulting with a physician.

Con
Websites such as Wikipedia and WebMd actually do more harm than good. It causes the general public to self-diagnose based on generalized signs and symptoms. Treatment plans should be established by medically trained and licensed professionals only.

What are your thoughts on this issue? Medical Fanatics would love to hear from you.