Why an internet click a day won’t keep the doctor away

As many as 83 per cent of people in the UK surf the net for information about their health problems before going to see their doctor.

But while asking Dr Google may sometimes provide a correct diagnosis, real doctors say incorrect information, misreading websites and people drawing illogical conclusions means that patients often get the wrong diagnosis online.

A new study by feminine health brand Balance Activ has found that one in four British women has misdiagnosed themselves on the internet.

Dr Laurence Buckman, chairman of the British Medical Association’s GPs Committee, warns: “Googling symptoms can be disastrous – if you feel something in your chest you’ll think you’re having a heart attack, and you’re probably not. Sometimes people come up with quite strange diagnostic leaps which aren’t logical, and occasionally I look on a site with a patient and they’ve simply misread it.”

The study of 1,000 women revealed that the symptoms most likely to prompt self-diagnosis are vague ones, including sleeping problems, headaches and depression. A fifth of them admitted that at some time they suspected they had a serious disease – most commonly breast cancer.

“I think most doctors are quite pleased when people look things up on the internet after they’ve seen them,” says Dr Buckman. “But what they’re not pleased about is when a patient comes with a sheaf of papers, having already ‘worked out’ what’s wrong with them. Then the consultation isn’t about their illness, but about what they’ve found on the internet and you end up with the doctor trying to prove that the internet’s wrong, which can be extremely time-consuming.

“If there was something wrong with your car, you’d take it to a garage rather than diagnosing and fixing it yourself, it’s the same with your health.

“You can find the worst-case scenario when looking up symptoms on the internet. But that doesn’t mean it’s right.”

Most people assume that almost any symptom equals cancer and by the time they book an appointment they are already convinced their condition is fatal. “They come in very distressed because they think they’ve got cancer, when in fact they haven’t – most symptoms do not equal cancer,” adds Dr Buckman. “For example, if you read the internet, a headache means you’ve got a brain tumour. However, most brain tumours don’t start with a headache, as other symptoms usually present first. “It’s very hard to reassure people when they’ve read it in black and white on the internet.”

Successful persuasion can mean blood tests, X-rays and scans which may not have been necessary if the patient wasn’t so worried by what they had read online.

“The Balance Activ study also found that self-medicating online has led a tenth of the country’s women to endure unpleasant side-effects as a result of misdiagnosis.

Pharmacist Leyla Hannbeck, spokesperson for the National Pharmacy Association, says: “You read people’s comments about particular symptoms, and they often say take this or that, which is dangerous because these people probably don’t know anything about medicines,” she points out.

“We’re quite concerned about it – it’s one thing to Google your symptoms, but quite another to start treating them. Even if someone does Google their symptoms, any treatment should be discussed with a healthcare professional.

“People can go to a pharmacy without an appointment, describe their symptoms to the pharmacist – in a consultation room if preferred – and the pharmacist will either advise on the correct treatment or suggest a patient sees a doctor if necessary.

“If you speak to a pharmacist, you’re talking to someone very knowledgeable. Pharmacies are very accessible – you just need to walk into one to get the information you need, rather than going on the internet trying to work out what your condition is.

“It’s very worrying when people start playing with their health. Some people don’t stop at self-diagnosis, but go on to buy medication from illegitimate websites.

“Some of the medications these sites sell may be counterfeit and the consequences of taking these pills can be disastrous.

“It may seem like a quick fix, but often it turns out to be anything but.”

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