Paging, Dr. Google or Please be Kind to Us, Your Doctors

A few weeks ago, I was listening to a Harvard educated medical doctor talk about her actor-sister who the whole family refers to as, “Dr. Google.” The doctor recounted an amusing anecdote in which her sister, after calling and asking for medical help, proceeded to google the answer and then tell the medical doctor how she was wrong because her answer didn't agree with the information found on the internet. The sister was even given a gift of scrubs with the title, “Dr. Google,” inscribed on them, one Christmas.

While both the audience and the medical doctor laughed about this, as is true with any joke or funny story, there was a lot of truth to this, as we frequently find. Things have certainly changed since we began practicing 25+ years ago. On the whole, patients used to be willing to talk about their problems and allow us the time needed to accurately diagnose their problem. Now, we find that many people use the internet as their source of expertise, assuming that all there is to diagnosis is to simply plug in a set of symptoms and, voila, they know what you need to do to help.  Additionally, if we don't agree or give them what they want, we are the ones in error or don't know what we're talking about.

Until listening to what the medical doctor had to say about her sister's penchant for self-diagnosis, I had thought that this behavior was, perhaps, focused on us, as chiropractors, and localized to this area of the country.  However, after reading an article written by a medical doctor entitled, "Please be Kind to Us, Your Doctors,"  I realized that this Dr. Google phenomenon was part of a larger picture.  In both instances, similar sentiments to mine were being expressed.  While I think that the internet offers reliable generalized information, I would not recommend its use for specific problems, let alone assuming an accurate level of diagnosis and therapy.

Most symptoms are caused by multiple systems imbalances and examining the whole person, and not just the area of complaint, is necessary to offer an accurate assessment and diagnosis. How can some unknown person, inputting information, know anything about an individual's unique needs? Could there possibly be any misinformation on the internet? Is it possible that the lay person could be misinterpreting their symptoms or omitting vital information that they don't even know is important to their diagnosis and treatment options.

I believe that people should gather whatever information they want or need and then listen to what their doctor has to say, without prejudice or preconceived notions. We are all fallible human beings who deserve to be treated with respect and kindness. This is something that both doctors and patients sometimes forget. Perhaps, it is something that all of us, from time to time, forget.

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