-By Dr Naresh Purohit
( Executive Member - Federation of Hospital Administrators, Advisor For National Mental Health Programme )
New Delhi: We are living in a world of information overload that is available at the click of a button. However, health misinformation on the web can lead to trust deficits amongst patients and challenge the doctor-patient relationship.
While the act of self-diagnosis using Dr. Google is not entirely new, medics are seeing a phenomenal rise in the use of Dr. Google after covid. The arrival of ChatGPT has made the information available in a presentable manner at our fingertips. The reasons for using Dr.Google vary , while some try it out of curiosity, others prefer it to get a sense of control over their health and to better communicate with the doctors. A few use it as a precautionary measure to prevent misdiagnosis. Anonymous access to information ensuring privacy is an added advantage. While learning more about a disease after being diagnosed by a doctor may be useful, one needs to be cautious while using it for self-diagnosis. It is important to note that online sources vary widely in credibility and do not put the information available into context. While symptom checklist is the first step that doctors use to arrive at a diagnosis, they also incorporate the information about the common conditions in that geographical location, current context in which the symptoms are manifested, genetic and familial vulnerability of the patient in addition to the symptoms that the patient is presenting. In addition to this, a wealth of information is added when a doctor examines the patient. Due to the complex interaction between these factors, diagnosis is a skill that a doctor masters over time. While generative artificial intelligence like ChatGPT has made leaps of progress, they lack the ability to synthesize the information and a humane touch.
Often self-diagnosis leads to increased anxiety and fear. Cyberchondria, defined as high health anxiety arising from use of internet resources, is on the rise. It is the belief of having a serious disease, often without a matching medical condition. On the other hand, self-misdiagnosis is also a danger, as it often results in people not seeking treatment. Cyberchondria often results in increased stress on both the patient and doctors, and increased costs for treatment that may not be necessary.
Its crucial to improve health literacy so that patients can navigate the medical landscape with confidence. So, improving health literacy is like giving them a GPS to navigate their way to better health.
Determining the exact percentage of reliable health information on the web and social media is like finding a rare unicorn in a haystack made of cat videos. Its challenging to find reliable sources amidst the abundance of unreliable information. For every trustworthy source, theres also misleading or sensationalized content. So, its essential to approach everything with skepticism and fact-checking. Dr. Google doesnt have a medical degree.
To fight this battle of health related misinformation on the web effectively, one needs to become a truth-seeking ninja in the virtual world of chaos.
People need to develop critical thinking skills, fact-check the information that one come across, and rely on reputable sources like your doctor for guidance.
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