The Dangers of Dr. Dotcom

THE DANGERS OF DR. DOTCOM WHY SELF-DIAGNOSIS IS NO REPLACEMENT FOR THE REAL THING ARE YOU A CYBERCHONDRIAC? 80% (THE SYMPTOM THAT MANY PATIENTS MISS) The unfounded escalation of concerns OF AMERICAN INTERNET USERS HAVE LOOKED ONLINE FOR HEALTH INFO (PEW RESEARCH) about common symptomatology based on the review of search results and literature on the web. (Microsoft Research) WHY DO YOU SELF-DIAGNOSE? THE AVERAGE NATIONAL WAIT TIME TO SEE A PHYSICIAN 20.5 DAYS 29% Come in 47% WE'RE OPEN EMBARRASSMENT ACCESSIBILITY 47% of respondents said that they have avoided discussing a health problem with their doctor because they felt embarrassed. 29% of those who go online for medical info cite "accessibility" as the reason they turn to the internet versus visiting the doctor to diagnose or treat an illness. (Wolters Kluwer, Consumers show...) (State Journal-Register) (MERRITT HAWKINS) 50% T2%24! <45 YRS ZocDoc OVER-CONFIDENCE FRUSTRATION WAIT TIME 24-72 HOURS Younger Americans, aged under 45, are more likely to think the internet makes them the medical experts. Those under 45 are also less likely to get annual checkups. (Marist Poll) Almost half of applicable respondents find the process of dealing with their health frustrating and admit to delaying seeking medical care because the process is a pain. (Harris Interactive) WHY SHOULDN'T YOU SELF-DIAGNOSE? UNWARRANTED HIGH RATES OF LINKAGE 1oti ANXIETY O MISDIAGNOSING "The tendency of Surprisingly high rates of linkage of rare diseases, such as “brain tumor," to common symptoms, such as “headache," web searchers to start with symptoms that are coarsely reported.in Web context can stimulate potentially Nearly one in five Americans who turn to the Internet for medical info have were detected in web searches. admitted to unwarranted misdiagnosing themselves. (Wolters anxiety." (Microsoft Research) Kluwer, Consumers show...) (Microsoft Research) MISINFORMATION SYMPTOMS + DISEASE More than half of physicians say that misinformed patients were one of the most common barriers to good doctor-patient communication. (Wolters Kluwer, Q1 Poll) "Most signs and symptoms are not exclusive to one disease." (Psychology Today, 2010) IN SUMMARY DON'T.. DO.. VISIT YOUR DOCTOR! COME TO HASTY CONCLUSIONS! If you're feeling out of sorts, be sure to get an evaluation from an expert. A personal exam is better than making assumptions based on a general list of Z. Check the credibility of your information source. Remain calm - anxiety and stress could bring about new symptoms, complicating professional assessment. FEEL EMBARRASSED! symptoms. Use ZocDoc to see your doctor sooner "Make sure you give a full history so the doctor knows what is going on...It's best for people to bring up sensitive issues even if they're nervous..plus, it will help the doctor know what to do." (State Journal-Register) rather than later! Brought to you by ZocDoc.com