I always fear visits to my family doctor… not because he is incompetent, in fact it is quite the opposite, but because he is 84 (he is such a good physician that he still has an active practice at this age). What does concern me at every annual check-up is his weak trembling hand nearing my arm to find a vein from which to draw blood! It is impressive to see that even at this age some doctors not only understand the importance of the Internet, but can also find humor in the threats it may pose to their jobs.
In his office, above his desk you can find a framed cartoon that puts a smile on my face every time I visit. It looks something like this:
The truth I find in this scenario is what makes it so funny to me. Unfortunately, not enough people have access to medical information online, and most feel completely lost when it comes to finding even one specialist let alone a second opinion. Patients are often removed from decisions about their health but I believe that the Internet could empower them to gain relevant knowledge that helps them become more involved.
Many patients get in contact with their future physicians through online recommendation. I have often seen expert physician lists on forums, and I myself have commented and given advice on those doctors I felt did either a good or bad job.
Short anecdote: I did have an awful doctor once who compared me to a car! “If it takes you this long to decide on an operation, I wonder how hard it is for you to buy a car?” he tells my parents as they attempt to cover all the bases regarding my condition and annoy him with all their questions. Needless to say, we never visited that “expert” again.
In my research I gathered several stories I will share with you anonymously:
A friend shared with me her frustration regarding her father’s medical situation. He had undergone numerous surgeries all of which he believes to have worsened his condition. This particular patient would have preferred a more traditional approach that promised lesser but surer results. At that time he did not have a physician he trusted. In retrospect the family wishes they could have come into contact with different doctors for a second opinion before the operations.
A wife wanted to seek a second opinion regarding her husband’s condition from an international source. However, in her online search she could only come across lists of local, North American doctors. Not satisfied with her options she began to look up physicians that published articles or attended conferences about the particular disease and slowly found a name that appeared more frequently. She searched for the expert and quickly found that the hospital where doctor worked specialized in the treatment and research of the condition. She found the contact, visited her office and managed to start a dialogue that resulted in her husband’s participation in a new clinical study. “This would have been impossible without the Internet… I only wish that more people could reach this type of information easier,” she writes. This wife happens to be a software engineer who is well versed in Internet research, but what of the rest of the population; how are they to find the physicians (local or foreign) they seek?
A man is left suffering from his condition for decades because several physicians refused to treat him. He later gets into contact with other patients on a forum who provide him with the contact to their doctors and assure him that his needs will be taken seriously. The list of doctors, advice and support he receives from fellow users results in his surgery appointment. If he only had access to this list of doctors sooner, perhaps he could have been treated earlier.
I am curious as to how popular sites like “http://www.ratemds.com/” are, and how credible are their ratings?
Personally I do not find the layout or infrastructure easy to use, nor do I think there are adequate numbers of doctors listed. “Ratemyprofessor.com” seems to have a far more thorough list yet sadly shouldn’t your health be so much more important than your grades?
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