ABSTRACT
People who use the Internet for health information often obtain their first opinion that way, and then, if they go to a doctor, the doctor's advice is relegated to the second opinion. Using the Internet, or Dr. Google, as a first opinion can be problematic due to misinformation, misinterpretation of valid information, and the fears that can arise due to lack of medical knowledge, inexperience, and limited perspectives. When patients do visit their doctor for a second opinion, some do not disclose the fact they already received their first opinion and often their doctors do not ask. The result is that patients may suffer needlessly if their fears, concerns, misunderstandings, and misinterpretations are not addressed by the healthcare providers with the expertise and skills to assist them. A pernicious disconnect exists between many patients who use the Internet for health information and the medical professionals who care for them. The medical profession can alleviate this disconnect by taking the lead in establishing guidelines for systematically talking to patients about, and guiding, their Internet research. Human-computer interaction professionals can collaborate with the medical community in ensuring credible health Web sites become the gold standard that patients use to achieve better health.
- Citizens' Council on Health Care. Quality Measurement And Pay-For-Performance Have Major Flaws. Medical News Today, May 1, 2007.Google Scholar
- Fox, S. Online Health Search 2006. Pew Internet and American Life Project.Google Scholar
- Glassman, P. Health Literacy. National Network of Libraries of Medicine.Google Scholar
- Goran, M.J. and Stanford, J. E--Health: Restructuring Care Delivery in the Internet Age. Journal of Healthcare Information Management, Volume 15, Issue 1, Spring 2001.Google Scholar
- Gualtieri, L.N. Diagnosis Surfing: How to Use Online Medical Resources Wisely. Tufts Magazine, Winter, 2009.Google Scholar
- Gualtieri, L.N. and Pratt, J. What Your Patients Are Doing Online and Why You Should Care. Tufts Medicine, Vol. 68, No. 1, Winter 2009.Google Scholar
- Haig, S. When the Patient Is a Googler. Time Magazine, Nov. 8, 2007.Google Scholar
- Harris Poll #76, July 31, 2007.Google Scholar
- HONcode. Retrieved January 7, 2009, from http://www.hon.ch/.Google Scholar
- Hongsermeier, T. Technology-Enabled Clinical Guidelines and EMRs. Technology Health Management, July 1997.Google Scholar
- Imes, RS et al. Patients' Reasons for Refraining from Discussing Internet Health Information with Their Healthcare Providers. Health Communications 23 (6): 538--547, 2008.Google ScholarCross Ref
- Nielsen-Bohlman, L., Panzer, A.M., and Kindig, D.A. (Editors). Health Literacy: A Prescription to End Confusion. National Academies Press, 2004.Google Scholar
- Norman, D. Sociable Design. Retrieved from http://www.jnd.org/ms/1.1%20Sociable%20Design.pdf on January 7, 2009.Google Scholar
- Opper, S. You Are Not Alone: Computer Networks Help People Learn from Others. In Klarreich, S.H. (Editor), Health and Fitness in the Workplace: Health Education in Business Organizations. Praeger, New York, 1987.Google Scholar
- Paasche-Orlow, M.K. et al. How Health Care Systems Can Begin to Address the Challenge of Limited Literacy. J Gen Intern Med. 2006 August; 21(8): 884---887.Google Scholar
- Preece, J. Online Communities: Designing Usability and Supporting Sociability. Wiley, 2000. Google ScholarDigital Library
- Rahul K. Parikh, R.K. Beware Dr. Google. San Francisco Chronicle, November 18, 2007.Google Scholar
- Scherokman, B. and Segal, M. Health 2.0 for Neurologists. American Academy of Neurology News. Retrieved from http://www.aan.com/news/?event=read&article_id=5277 on January 7, 2009.Google Scholar
- Schwartz, J. Logging on for a Second (or Third) Opinion. The New York Times, September 29, 2008.Google Scholar
- Summerskill, W. Literature searches: look before you leap. The Lancet, Vol. 366 No. 9479, July, 2005.Google Scholar
- URAC. Retrieved January 7, 2009, from http://www.urac.org/.Google Scholar
Index Terms
- The doctor as the second opinion and the internet as the first
Recommendations
Improving Doctor---Patient Communication: Examining Innovative Modalities Vis-à-vis Effective Patient-Centric Care Management Technology
This analysis investigates what patients and practitioners can do to improve their interactive communications to achieve optimal patient-centric (PC) care. One goal of this clinical practice approach is to improve patient satisfaction, compliance, and ...
Designing and evaluating online communities for promoting self-management of chronic low back pain
This study discusses the organisation of a virtual community composed of health professionals and patients affected by chronic low back pain. The community was created as part of a pilot study for promoting self-management of the disease. The article ...
Intelligent panic disorder treatment by using biofeedback analysis and web technologies
The treatment of mental disorders has recently become an important research issue. The treatment of mental illness through biofeedback therapy can be defined as a combination method integrating biofeedback devices and self-help programs. This research ...
Comments