INTERNET DOCTOR – A REALITY AN ALLY, COMPETITION OR A RISK
-DR. XAVIER AGUIRRE OSETE
I remember in my college years in the 1970s, getting a medical item was an adventure. The latter began with going to the library of the large hospitals, consulting the “index medicus” that great book larger than those of the Royal Academy of Language and that was not leafless, and being lucky to have the magazine and the volume of it. Once this is achieved, request the photostatic copies (and that it work) returning for them 4 or 5 days later.
Nowadays, in a jiffy you can get this information and get a printout and compare with multiple authors from all over the world.
Previously the information changed every 15 or 20 years, today simply entering medical school and completing a degree may be enough time for the information to change.
This information came in handy for doctors as they were able to update themselves on a topic or simply consult something new. For this, most doctors have taken courses to obtain information, but above all to give a real assessment of what cost us many years of study.
Unfortunately, this information can fall on unsuitable or rather unprepared people and not give it the proper value, giving it an incorrect interpretation.
People, in this case the patient, can be of various types:
1.- The hypochondriac, who is the one who suffers the most and his situation may now be worse and accentuate his problems.
2.- The curious, who did something improper against his health and wants to see the consequences.
3.-The shy one, who is embarrassed to ask about everything about sexuality or the urogenital system.
4.- The saver does not “enough” to pay for a consultation.
5.- The desperate, who does not have time to go to a consultation.
6.- And lastly, the dangerous one, the one who searches the Internet for what is related to his diagnosis or illness to ask questions in the consultation to see how much the doctor knows or is updated.
All this harms the medical profession professionally, socially and legally, so it is very important to instruct and educate our patients in the aspect of the internet and social networks. The doctor-patient relationship is very important to generate the vital bond of trust in the exercise of our profession and that it does not become a patient-machine relationship.
As doctors, we must make the patient see that they can make a mistake with their health, as well as delay a diagnosis that could cost them their lives.
Dr. Internet is your ally, your competition or a risk. What do you think?