Internet Medicine

Peter Bergman, the actor who played the character of Cliff Warner on All My Children announced:  I am not a real doctor, but I play one on TV.

It was a disclaimer in an advertisement for Vicks Formula 44.

There was a time when patients sought a diagnosis from a physician and had no choice but to take them at their word. There was no internet or Google. There was no WebMD or e-medicine. Other than a Merck manual, there was no access for laymen to medical information.

But that has changed—and for the better.

One can self-diagnose based on a list of symptoms off of websites.  One may learn about treatment and the prognosis. And in doing so, a patient may discover how informed (or not) their own doctor is in the ever-changing world of medicine.

The same holds true with prescribed medications. One can research the efficacy, proper dosage, and interactions of any drug.

And I am one of those people who believes that there can never be too much medical information—even if it incites an overabundance of concern. It’s how I knew my first gastroenterologist was an idiot despite the fact she came highly recommended. Not only did I discover her diagnosis was wrong, I discovered the medication she prescribed was counter-indicated and served only to exacerbate my symptoms.

It’s also how I knew the gastroenterologist I used after her was top-notch. Every protocol was spot-on. All the information was confirmed. She knew much more than I did—and that’s the point—I prefer a physician way smarter than me.

And it is not uncommon nowadays to see people sitting in the ER or a waiting room with an ipad assessing their current care—or a loved one’s--- in real time. They are making certain the physician is getting it right before it goes wrong. And if a question needs to be asked, a patient or caretaker is secure in the knowledge that they know what they are speaking about.

And I have discovered something else. Any doctor who will not embrace your well-researched questions but rather prefers the solitude of the pedestal they have put themself on, deserves a pink slip.

Patients must feel free to advocate for themselves.

And  in this Google-driven high speed internet  world,  even if I am only a blogger by profession, unlike the actor in the commercial, I am a physician on a regular basis. And the information I hold, needs no disclaimer or excuses.