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

A Google search can make all the difference in the world for patients

Wendy Sue Swanson, MD
Physician
June 20, 2015
Share
Tweet
Share

shutterstock_174393956

One Google search can sometimes change everything.

After learning something new about our child’s health or condition, especially for worried parents and caregivers, leveraging online search as a resource in diagnosis, clarification and education is typical behavior. Searching out support, camaraderie and tips online just makes sense. In fact, 2013 data from the Pew Research Center finds that 1 in 3 Americans goes online to search for information and support in finding a diagnosis. If you’re a woman, college-educated, or younger (under age 49) the likelihood of searching online increases and approaches 50 percent. Not only are we searching for health info and connection online, we’re doing it more so with mobile devices. Pew data from April 2015 finds that 64 percent of Americans have a smartphone and that 6 in 10 are searching for health info on a mobile device.

That smartphone in your pocket can connect you to information yes, but also to others like you.

Of course most clinical care still happens in the office and most decisions, especially important ones, are made offline. Yet preparing for visits, strengthening resolve, finding other parents in similar situations can potentially improve the way we care for and raise children with underlying medical challenges. It can also change how we feel about it. In my mind, one of the most precious resources will always be the people. This includes our family, our nurses, our therapists, our relatives, our clinicians and our peers. In the words of Susannah Fox, a technology and health researcher who is now chief technology officer at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, when it comes to caring for yourself or others in your life, “Community is your superpower.”

I’m still the doctor who encourages online search, especially when looking for resources in networked communities. Social networks have simply shrunk the distance between us and facilitated robust connection. Finding others like you, who’ve been down the road before you, can often provide support, help reduce anxiety, provide tips and connect you with resources you didn’t even know existed. As a pediatrician, there’s no question that expert patients and their families often teach me about resources available to them I’ve not previously known — as a clinician I’m grateful. Once I review the sites and organizations, I can then share those communities and education sites with other patients I’m lucky enough to partner with.

Mom Kaysee Hyatt drives this point home. After months of concern surrounding her infant daughter’s delayed development, Kaysee Hyatt finally got the diagnosis: her daughter Addison had suffered a perinatal ischemic stroke at birth. After receiving the news, Kaysee was told to go start therapy but in her words “there really was no plan.” Out of curiosity and intent, she turned to the Internet. A Google search on pediatric stroke led her to CHASA.org (Children’s Hemiplegia and Stroke Association), a nonprofit group founded by parents that provides resources and dozens of discussion groups for families dealing with pediatric stroke. Kaysee told me that when she found the site and learned more, “It changed everything.” When talking with Kaysee what stuck with me most is how Kaysee’s sense of isolation dissolved when she found these resources online. She remembers that she was stunned to find so many families with strikingly similar stories to her own. “It was amazing,” she told me, “we all shared the same stories.”

Kaysee learned how other families were searching for diagnosis, how they leveraged specialists and how they worked to get care covered by insurance. Kaysee talks about how she built a better medical team for her daughter thereafter. Kaysee isn’t shy about the power in this connection saying, “We would have been lost without that support. It was inspirational to know that even though there’s not a lot of information about pediatric stroke available, there are families who have gotten through it.” Kaysee told me she shares resources with physicians, therapists and others on her daughter’s medical team. Even more, she’s now actively paying this forward.

About a year after Addison’s diagnosis, Kaysee realized she wanted to help other families struggling with the same diagnosis gain easier access to medically-vetted resources and information. She started bringing therapy ideas from other hospitals around the country to Addison’s therapy appointments and encouraging her doctors to tell other parents about online resources available to them.

Kaysee soon realized she was becoming more comfortable with sharing her family’s story and knew that she wanted to encourage others to help each other through the diagnosis and recovery process. A few months ago she created the Pediatric Stroke Warriors Facebook page, a community designed to share medically-vetted information and connect families going through similar situations. There are about 80 families involved with Pediatric Stroke Warriors and Kaysee says the next step is establishing a nonprofit group to improve awareness and connect other families like hers. She says her goal with Pediatric Stroke Warriors is to gain awareness. Not simply for her daughter, but for the cause. Community: a superpower, and a super way to hone advocacy, build better teams for your own family and find others so often, just like you.

Learn more about pediatric ischemic stroke, use your community to share the message with others, and I say we all use Kaysee’s incredible journey as a reminder to seek out our peers when overwhelmed.

Wendy Sue Swanson is a pediatrician who blogs at Seattle Mama Doc. She is the author of Mama Doc Medicine: Finding Calm and Confidence in Parenting, Child Health, and Work-Life Balance.

Image credit:Twin Design / Shutterstock.com

Prev

Our most celebrated pediatricians are not maintaining certification

June 19, 2015 Kevin 7
…
Next

How to improve patient satisfaction in the emergency department

June 20, 2015 Kevin 8
…

ADVERTISEMENT

Tagged as: Patients, Pediatrics

Post navigation

< Previous Post
Our most celebrated pediatricians are not maintaining certification
Next Post >
How to improve patient satisfaction in the emergency department

ADVERTISEMENT

More by Wendy Sue Swanson, MD

  • Scared about Zika virus? Here are some answers that you need to know.

    Wendy Sue Swanson, MD
  • a desk with keyboard and ipad with the kevinmd logo

    Were the physicians on Jimmy Kimmel professional?

    Wendy Sue Swanson, MD
  • a desk with keyboard and ipad with the kevinmd logo

    Answers to your questions about the measles outbreak

    Wendy Sue Swanson, MD

More in Physician

  • Why evidence-based management may be an effective strategy for stronger health care leadership and equity

    Olumuyiwa Bamgbade, MD
  • The gift we keep giving: How medicine demands everything—even our holidays

    Tomi Mitchell, MD
  • From burnout to balance: a neurosurgeon’s bold career redesign

    Jessie Mahoney, MD
  • Why working in Hawai’i health care isn’t all paradise

    Clayton Foster, MD
  • How New Mexico became a malpractice lawsuit hotspot

    Patrick Hudson, MD
  • Why compassion—not credentials—defines great doctors

    Dr. Saad S. Alshohaib
  • Most Popular

  • Past Week

    • Why are medical students turning away from primary care? [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • Why “do no harm” might be harming modern medicine

      Sabooh S. Mubbashar, MD | Physician
    • How New Mexico became a malpractice lawsuit hotspot

      Patrick Hudson, MD | Physician
    • Why doctors are reclaiming control from burnout culture

      Maureen Gibbons, MD | Physician
    • Why public health must be included in AI development

      Laura E. Scudiere, RN, MPH | Tech
    • 5 blind spots that stall physician wealth

      Johnny Medina, MSc | Finance
  • Past 6 Months

    • Why tracking cognitive load could save doctors and patients

      Hiba Fatima Hamid | Education
    • Why are medical students turning away from primary care? [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • What the world must learn from the life and death of Hind Rajab

      Saba Qaiser, RN | Conditions
    • Why “do no harm” might be harming modern medicine

      Sabooh S. Mubbashar, MD | Physician
    • Here’s what providers really need in a modern EHR

      Laura Kohlhagen, MD, MBA | Tech
    • Why flashy AI tools won’t fix health care without real infrastructure

      David Carmouche, MD | Tech
  • Recent Posts

    • How digital tools are reshaping the doctor-patient relationship

      Vineet Vishwanath | Tech
    • Why evidence-based management may be an effective strategy for stronger health care leadership and equity

      Olumuyiwa Bamgbade, MD | Physician
    • Why health care leaders fail at execution—and how to fix it

      Dave Cummings, RN | Policy
    • Residency match tips: Building mentorship, research, and community

      Simran Kaur, MD and Eva Shelton, MD | Education
    • From Founding Fathers to modern battles: physician activism in a politicized era [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • From stigma to science: Rethinking the U.S. drug scheduling system

      Artin Asadipooya | Meds

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 1 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

  • Most Popular

  • Past Week

    • Why are medical students turning away from primary care? [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • Why “do no harm” might be harming modern medicine

      Sabooh S. Mubbashar, MD | Physician
    • How New Mexico became a malpractice lawsuit hotspot

      Patrick Hudson, MD | Physician
    • Why doctors are reclaiming control from burnout culture

      Maureen Gibbons, MD | Physician
    • Why public health must be included in AI development

      Laura E. Scudiere, RN, MPH | Tech
    • 5 blind spots that stall physician wealth

      Johnny Medina, MSc | Finance
  • Past 6 Months

    • Why tracking cognitive load could save doctors and patients

      Hiba Fatima Hamid | Education
    • Why are medical students turning away from primary care? [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • What the world must learn from the life and death of Hind Rajab

      Saba Qaiser, RN | Conditions
    • Why “do no harm” might be harming modern medicine

      Sabooh S. Mubbashar, MD | Physician
    • Here’s what providers really need in a modern EHR

      Laura Kohlhagen, MD, MBA | Tech
    • Why flashy AI tools won’t fix health care without real infrastructure

      David Carmouche, MD | Tech
  • Recent Posts

    • How digital tools are reshaping the doctor-patient relationship

      Vineet Vishwanath | Tech
    • Why evidence-based management may be an effective strategy for stronger health care leadership and equity

      Olumuyiwa Bamgbade, MD | Physician
    • Why health care leaders fail at execution—and how to fix it

      Dave Cummings, RN | Policy
    • Residency match tips: Building mentorship, research, and community

      Simran Kaur, MD and Eva Shelton, MD | Education
    • From Founding Fathers to modern battles: physician activism in a politicized era [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • From stigma to science: Rethinking the U.S. drug scheduling system

      Artin Asadipooya | Meds

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

A Google search can make all the difference in the world for patients
1 comments

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

Loading Comments...