Just two decades ago it was unimaginable that reliable medical information could be sourced from anywhere other than a health care professional. The sudden onset of symptoms meant a visit to a doctor, chat with a nurse or trip to the emergency room. The internet has changed the way we look at our symptoms. Nowadays most people would turn to the internet for their first-contact health education than to a doctor.
What may seem like a quick, convenient and cost-free way of deciding whether you really do need medical attention or not, may actually be putting your health at risk. Sometimes even minor symptoms may be a prelude to a serious medical event that may follow within hours or days. Furthermore many serious ailments can present with common and non-specific symptoms which may not seem like a cause for concern.
The issue does not lie with medical websites offering reliable information but rather in the way the user interprets it in order to make a health care decision. The wrong interpretation could turn out to be a matter of life or death. What could have been averted or at least minimized with prompt medical attention is instead delayed because the 'internet said so'.
Take a burning chest pain for example. Most people would immediately think that it is heartburn, a symptom that is not usually a cause for concern. Heartburn is a result of stomach acid flowing backwards into the food pipe (esophagus). Although uncomfortable and often distressing, heartburn is not potentially life-threatening.
However, what may seem like heartburn could in fact be cardiac pain, and it may even be a heart attack. The vast majority of medical websites state that typical heart attack chest pain is crushing or constricting in nature. Unfortunately the human body is not always typical.
A burning chest pain can in fact be due to an impending heart attack, and even one that is currently occurring or has just occurred. Needless to say, delayed medical treatment for a heart attack can make the difference between a bed in the ER or a final resting place at the local cemetery.
It is therefore prudent to use the information on the internet as a guide when it comes to medical matters, but not to let it be the final say in your medical care. This is best left to the health care professional. Even the most intensive search engine research will never be able to replace the advice and assessment of a doctor, pharmacist or nurse.
Medical information, even in cyberspace, should be left in the hands of health care professionals. At MedAsq we focus on delivering contented created by the professional in the medical industry rather than the professional writer.
