AUSTRALIANS are turning to the internet to self diagnose in a growing “doctor in the mouse” new trend that has been labelled alarming.
Australian Medical Association president Dr Steve Hambleton says while some health websites can be helpful they should only be visited after a doctor has delivered a diagnosis. Too often people can leap to the wrong conclusion if they try to diagnose themselves by symptom surfing on the internet, he said.
One in five Australians have admitted misdiagnosing themselves after relying on health advice from the internet. Doctors are alarmed by a new survey which shows three in four people admit they have surfed the internet to diagnose symptoms – hence the growing rates of misdiagnosis. The research for Medibank’s Health Advice Line also found nearly a third of people resorted to the “social diagnoser” and sought health advice on Facebook. One in five relied on a “mumscription”, getting their health advice from a family member. “If you look up headache, the first thing you’re going to find is a brain tumour,” he says.
Kristy Khonda, 20, who suffers from anxiety says she was diagnosed as pregnant after entering her symptoms into an internet search. “I had a bloated feeling, was shaking, had appetite problems and was getting a period every few days,” she said. “It wasn’t possible for me to be pregnant because you have to do something for that to happen and I hadn’t,” she said. When she consulted her doctor she was diagnosed with anxiety.
Dr Georgia Karabatsos, Medibank 24/7 Health Advice Line Medical Director said it was essential people with health worries consulted an expert. If it was not checked in time a cough could turn into pneumonia. Under diagnosis was as much a problem as overdiagnosing symptoms, she said. She said the recent controversy over immunisation websites showed how some health sites seemed to have reputable names but were in fact pushing a controversial agenda. The research, conducted by Pure Profile on a sample of 1008 Australians nationally between the ages of 18-65, found embarrassment was one reason people searched for advice on the internet. Two out of three 18-24 year olds would prefer to search for symptoms of sexual health problems online than talk to an expert, the survey found. Facebook is increasingly being used to swap health advice with nearly a third (28%) noticing health topics being discussed. The most common subjects being discussed are children’s health, colds and fevers. One in three people said they used the internet for health advice because it’s too hard to get a doctor’s appointment (33%).
Laverty pathology 