Is your doctor looking for more information about you online? Based on the study, the answer is yes.
Everybody now goes online especially in Google to look for whatever information. For example, if we get sick or we suspect we are, we search for possible clues or diagnosis through search engines. We also use the same tool to look for professional health care providers and dig deeper into their CVs.
It turns out too that we're not the only ones. Even doctors themselves may search for us online, and according to a recent study, this is acceptable.
Researchers published a paper about Google snooping by health care providers in Journal of General Internal Medicine. For them, this practice is okay, but only to a certain extent.
But why would they do this in the first place? The paper outlines some of the reasons why doctors look for you in Google.
One, the doctor may have doubts about your story. He may feel as if you're hiding something from him, especially certain symptoms or a family history. Two, he may think that your supposed injuries may have not been obtained from accidents but from physical violence or domestic abuse. Of course, they wish to know more about your condition so they can provide you with a much proper and accurate diagnosis.
Simply put, all these are to help them stay true to their oath, which is to protect you from further harm.
The paper acknowledges the use of the Internet including search engines and social media in gathering more information about patients, especially among the new breed of health care providers. Nevertheless, they should be clear guidelines on this practice to place more value on doctor-patient relationship. The researchers wish that the paper may be able to encourage a discussion about doctor associations and other health care providers.
