by Ruby Patel
In this day and age the internet has gained such a string hold over our lives that it is safe to say that no aspect goes unaffected by some aspect of the web and cyberspace. On the subject of medicine, Web 1.0 has long been providing information. For examples web sites such as WebMD are like databases of illnesses and their respective symptoms. But as the web has changed to the 2.0 model so has the relationship between the internet and medicine.
Now, patients can utilize the internet to post their symptoms and receive blog diagnoses. If you are like me, trusting the diagnoses of bloggers whom you do not know or who may not have a background in medicine does not seem like the best idea. But although there are definitely drawbacks to this model of medicine, this process also has positives. For example, individuals who do not have access to medical services can receive diagnoses on “simple” ailments. It also gives the patient the ability to obtain general information of what their symptoms could entail so they feel more important when they do seek a confirmed diagnosis from their physician.
It is my question as to whether you the users of the internet see this relationship between the web and medicine a positive or negative one? and why do you feel this way? Do the risks related to a false diagnosis outweigh all positives? In addition to this relationship, how do you think the traditional interactions between patients and doctors have changed as the internet has gained a more powerful role? What
if in the future, patients completely stop physically visiting doctors and simply rely on posting symptoms online and having doctors be the bloggers that diagnose the ailment, what would be the necessity for doctors’ offices and visits?
