The Dangers of Self Diagnosis via the Internet
Source: ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation) Do you have a rash and a sore throat? A high fever? A splitting headache? Forget spending time and money on seeing a doctor - there is a plethora of internet sites that will help you diagnose your own illness for free. Simply answer a series of questions about your age, body measurements and symptoms and the internet will do the rest. The Australian Medical Association says it's seriously concerned with the increasing number of WA residents who are doing just that. Last year, a study found nearly 80 per cent of Australians get health information off the net, with almost half of those doing so to diagnose a medical condition. The AMA's Doctor Richard Chong says those statistics seem to reflect local trends in WA. "Every single day I see patients that have come to me after checking their symptoms on the internet," he said. "I accept that it's a part of life now due to the sheer number of people who're more familiar with the internet. "To be honest, most people who do it aren't harmed." "They rush in thinking they have something that's going to kill them when they're actually fine." Dr Chong is, however, concerned about people who don't go to their GP because their research has reassured them that nothing's wrong. "At least with the first group of people, we get to discuss their symptoms because they always come in," he said. "The people that don't are the ones [...]