Skip to content
  • About
  • Contact
  • Contribute
  • Book
  • Careers
  • Podcast
  • Recommended
  • Speaking
  • All
  • Physician
  • Practice
  • Policy
  • Finance
  • Conditions
  • .edu
  • Patient
  • Meds
  • Tech
  • Social
  • Video
    • All
    • Physician
    • Practice
    • Policy
    • Finance
    • Conditions
    • .edu
    • Patient
    • Meds
    • Tech
    • Social
    • Video
    • About
    • Contact
    • Contribute
    • Book
    • Careers
    • Podcast
    • Recommended
    • Speaking

Wake up health care: Patients Google it

Joyce Lee, MD, MPH
Social media
November 21, 2014
Share
Tweet
Share

shutterstock_104522027

I have to thank my colleague @SusannahFox for alerting me to this on my Twitter stream. It was a link to a Washington Post article about about a campaign to get people in Belgium to stop Googling their symptoms.

Can this ad campaign get people in Belgium to stop Googling their symptoms? http://t.co/QHobElz7rN (HT @etkeld)

— Susannah Fox (@SusannahFox) November 12, 2014

 

1-cuwz3dTOwJYMnO1cV_O7Dg

Check out the video that was made. The narrator states:

I have a deadly disease and I am going to die in 6 weeks. Or at least that’s what I thought when I used Google to diagnose my twitching eyelid. I’m not the only one. Instead of consulting a doctor, 75% of the population uses Google to diagnose their systems, and on the internet, anyone can be a doctor. Most cures you’ll find online only makes things worse. The Flemish government commissioned us to prevent people from making this mistake.

The company, DDB Brussels conducted a Google Adwords campaign of the top 100 most searched symptoms, and when the person put the symptoms in, this would pop up:

1-sdqjcBnbi32f3XOckKXbeg

The narrator continues:

The sponsored link leads you to a government website, where reliable and professional information can be found. On the page we included an awareness video showing what could possibly happen when you consult a Dr. Google.

1-gUkAFwE0mLl--VsNX8QebA

Oh no, this can happen when you Google it.

1-TiWiyJbzrogq9Qc3nGBj9w

Oh no, this can happen when you Google it.

And he ends with the advice: “So remember kids, don’t Google it!”

Susannah so thoughtfully posed the question:

.@SusannahFox Doesn’t that go against the whole concept of peer-to-peer #healthcare ? It’s a bit retrograde don’t you think? #hcsm #s4pm

— Doctor as Designer (@joyclee) November 12, 2014

ADVERTISEMENT

@joyclee Yes, it certainly seems retrograde from our U.S. perspective – would love to hear from friends in EU. — Susannah Fox (@SusannahFox) November 12, 2014

This ad campaign was directed at Belgians, not Americans, but the issues raised are universal, which leads us to these three realities about Dr. Google:

1. Google is the first place doctors go to for medical information.  Talk to any doctor you know, and who do they first consult? Google. Ok so doctors usually have some form of expertise for which they need no consult, but for any rarer cases of disease, lingering questions about symptoms, or medication doses, honestly Google is the easiest place to go. And don’t forget that article from the Atlantic, which revealed this ugly truth:“Wikipedia is the top source of health care information for both doctors and patients. Fifty percent of physicians use Wikipedia for information, especially for specific conditions.”

So let’s just be realistic, even if you decide to go to a doctor first, you are still consulting Dr. Google by default. I am not advocating that patients bypass the medical system altogether, but we have to recognize that all knowledge, even medical knowledge, is becoming more, networked, collective, and real-time. This article in the Atlantic describes it to a T:

We are in a new age of “networked knowledge,” meaning that knowledge — ideas, information, wisdom even — has broken out of its physical confines (the pages of a book or the mind of a person) and now exists in a hyperconnected online state.

The bottom line is that you often won’t find the answer in that dusty medical textbook published 4 years ago, and the network may actually protect us from the mistakes of any lone doctor.

2. The poor design of the health care system leads the sser to Google.

1-DqamkNeA_zEjAbYvw_jdVA

Drawing by @JessicaHagy based on a TRANSFORM keynote.

This drawing by @JessicaHagy, really captures it in a powerful and succint way. People need more in depth health information, and the 2 page black and white paper handouts we provide to meet meaningful use criteria aren’t sufficient.

3. Google is the gateway to communities of expert patients on social media sites. One-third of U.S. adults have ever gone online to try to figure out a medical condition they are dealing with – diagnosis, and 59 percent of U.S. adults say they went online in the past year to gather health information. And, they are finding that information on social media. (Gasp!) Yes, social media! That dirty word in the medical establishment. Health care professionals groan about the loads of “bad” medical information and wasted time in the clinical encounter with patients who have too many Internet questions.

But it’s the place where patients are making diagnoses, creating effective health education materials, and finding the peer support that is critical for their survival. Let’s be honest, who is more expert at a disease than the person who’s living with it? Have you heard about the Nightscout Project, a DIY open-source project? It’s the most disruptive and transformative technology to hit the diabetes community in the last decade, and it couldn’t have happened without social media.

Health care, wake up. It’s not the 1990s anymore.

Social media, Google, and the Internet are medical therapy.

My recommendation: Do Google it.

Joyce Lee is a pediatrician who blogs at Doctor as Designer.  Read her Twitter guide, UR a social media guru.

Image credit: Shutterstock.com

Prev

Is a Google pill the only hope for cardiovascular disease detection?

November 21, 2014 Kevin 7
…
Next

Innovation in cardiac surgery: When doctors worked with engineers

November 21, 2014 Kevin 2
…

Tagged as: Patients, Primary Care

Post navigation

< Previous Post
Is a Google pill the only hope for cardiovascular disease detection?
Next Post >
Innovation in cardiac surgery: When doctors worked with engineers

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

More in Social media

  • First impressions happen online—not in your exam room

    Sara Meyer
  • What teenagers on TikTok are saying about skin care—and why that’s a problem

    Khushali Jhaveri, MD
  • How social media and telemedicine are transforming patient care

    Jalene Jacob, MD, MBA
  • How DrKoop.com rose and fell: the untold story behind the Surgeon General’s startup

    Nigel Cameron, PhD
  • How I escaped the toxic grip of social media

    Dr. Damane Zehra
  • Why doctors must fight health misinformation on social media

    Olapeju Simoyan, MD
  • Most Popular

  • Past Week

    • Why flashy AI tools won’t fix health care without real infrastructure

      David Carmouche, MD | Tech
    • Key strategies for smooth EHR transitions in health care

      Sandra Johnson | Tech
    • 2 hours to decide my future: How the SOAP residency match traps future doctors

      Nicolette V. S. Sewall, MD, MPH | Education
    • Reassessing the impact of CDC’s opioid guidelines on chronic pain care [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • When the diagnosis is personal: What my mother’s Alzheimer’s taught me about healing

      Pearl Jones, MD | Conditions
    • Why Medicaid cuts should alarm every doctor

      Ilan Shapiro, MD | Policy
  • Past 6 Months

    • Why tracking cognitive load could save doctors and patients

      Hiba Fatima Hamid | Education
    • What the world must learn from the life and death of Hind Rajab

      Saba Qaiser, RN | Conditions
    • How scales of justice saved a doctor-patient relationship

      Neil Baum, MD | Physician
    • The silent toll of ICE raids on U.S. patient care

      Carlin Lockwood | Policy
    • My journey from misdiagnosis to living fully with APBD

      Jeff Cooper | Conditions
    • “Think twice, heal once”: Why medical decision-making needs a second opinion from your slower brain (and AI)

      Harvey Castro, MD, MBA | Tech
  • Recent Posts

    • Why some doctors age gracefully—and others grow bitter

      Patrick Hudson, MD | Physician
    • Why removing fluoride from water is a public health disaster

      Steven J. Katz, DDS | Conditions
    • What the research really says about infrared saunas

      Khushali Jhaveri, MD | Conditions
    • How the cycle of rage is affecting physicians—and how to break free

      Alexandra M.P. Brito, MD and Jennifer L. Hartwell, MD | Conditions
    • Why ADHD in adults is often missed—and why it matters [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • Dedicated hypermobility clinics can transform patient care

      Katharina Schwan, MPH | Conditions

Subscribe to KevinMD and never miss a story!

Get free updates delivered free to your inbox.


Find jobs at
Careers by KevinMD.com

Search thousands of physician, PA, NP, and CRNA jobs now.

Learn more

View 29 Comments >

Founded in 2004 by Kevin Pho, MD, KevinMD.com is the web’s leading platform where physicians, advanced practitioners, nurses, medical students, and patients share their insight and tell their stories.

Social

  • Like on Facebook
  • Follow on Twitter
  • Connect on Linkedin
  • Subscribe on Youtube
  • Instagram

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

  • Most Popular

  • Past Week

    • Why flashy AI tools won’t fix health care without real infrastructure

      David Carmouche, MD | Tech
    • Key strategies for smooth EHR transitions in health care

      Sandra Johnson | Tech
    • 2 hours to decide my future: How the SOAP residency match traps future doctors

      Nicolette V. S. Sewall, MD, MPH | Education
    • Reassessing the impact of CDC’s opioid guidelines on chronic pain care [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • When the diagnosis is personal: What my mother’s Alzheimer’s taught me about healing

      Pearl Jones, MD | Conditions
    • Why Medicaid cuts should alarm every doctor

      Ilan Shapiro, MD | Policy
  • Past 6 Months

    • Why tracking cognitive load could save doctors and patients

      Hiba Fatima Hamid | Education
    • What the world must learn from the life and death of Hind Rajab

      Saba Qaiser, RN | Conditions
    • How scales of justice saved a doctor-patient relationship

      Neil Baum, MD | Physician
    • The silent toll of ICE raids on U.S. patient care

      Carlin Lockwood | Policy
    • My journey from misdiagnosis to living fully with APBD

      Jeff Cooper | Conditions
    • “Think twice, heal once”: Why medical decision-making needs a second opinion from your slower brain (and AI)

      Harvey Castro, MD, MBA | Tech
  • Recent Posts

    • Why some doctors age gracefully—and others grow bitter

      Patrick Hudson, MD | Physician
    • Why removing fluoride from water is a public health disaster

      Steven J. Katz, DDS | Conditions
    • What the research really says about infrared saunas

      Khushali Jhaveri, MD | Conditions
    • How the cycle of rage is affecting physicians—and how to break free

      Alexandra M.P. Brito, MD and Jennifer L. Hartwell, MD | Conditions
    • Why ADHD in adults is often missed—and why it matters [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • Dedicated hypermobility clinics can transform patient care

      Katharina Schwan, MPH | Conditions

MedPage Today Professional

An Everyday Health Property Medpage Today
  • Terms of Use | Disclaimer
  • Privacy Policy
  • DMCA Policy
All Content © KevinMD, LLC
Site by Outthink Group

Wake up health care: Patients Google it
29 comments

Comments are moderated before they are published. Please read the comment policy.

Loading Comments...