opinion
"Dr. Internet" not a worthy colleague
Posted April 4, 2011
Regarding: "New vital sign: degree of patient's online access" (link): Although I am a realist and understand online medical sites are here to stay, to applaud them and encourage their widespread use is absurd.
Patients oftentimes fail to understand clearly stated risks, benefits and alternatives of treatment as discussed by their physicians. To expect them to appropriately synthesize the information gleaned through Google is exercising futility.
Dr. Internet practices without a license, instills irrational fear and misunderstanding, usurps physicians professional advice, confounds unreasonable expectations and promotes increased liability. The time I spend daily undoing the damage Dr. Internet has ravaged would certainly be better spent educating my patients.
Devin M. Cunning, MD, Lake Havasu City, Ariz.
Note: This item originally appeared at http://www.ama-assn.org/amednews/2011/04/04/edlt0404.htm.