SCORES OF WEB SITES INVITE YOU TO SEND QUESTIONS TO UNSEEN MEDICAL PROFESSIONALS. BUT ARE THEY WORTH THE MONEY?
THE TEST
We recruited J. Jacques Carter, M.D., M.P.H., an assistant professor of medicine at Harvard medical school, to write two detailed questions from imaginary patients. Patient 1, who had epiploic appendagitis (inflammation of appendages on the colon), reported a nagging pain on the lower left side of his stomach. Patient 2, who had pulmonary emboli (lung clots), complained of sudden spells of shortness of breath. Both conditions would require a physician’s care.
AskMedicalDoctor.com and AnswerGem.com were the best: Both sites listed a variety of plausible diagnoses, and AskMedicalDoctor.com supplied a second physician’s opinion. Other sites weren’t as consistent. HealthCareMagic.com answered the shortness-of-breath question in detail (though it misdiagnosed the condition), but its response to Patient 1’s question was cursory. JustAnswer.com just told our breathless guy to calm down and wait it out. In real life, he might be dead now.
1
Know your options
These sites can be useful for
nonurgent problems, such
as joint pain or minor rashes,
but they’re just gateways to
further care, says Dr. Carter.
They can tell you whether
it’s important to see your
doctor for a full diagnosis.
2
Take pain seriously
Skip the Web sites and see
a doctor immediately if you
have unusual abdominal or
chest pain or a bad headache,
says Dr. Carter. The same
goes for a lingering fever,
shortness of breath, or a
spreading rash.
3
Be thorough
Provide details up front about
your health history, your
family’s medical history, and
any activities that could be
related to your symptoms.
They’re important to your
diagnosis, and a Web doctor
may not ask for them.
4
Be skeptical
“Medicine is rarely a 100 percent,
‘You definitely have this’
situation,” Dr. Carter says. So
don’t be satisfied if an online
doctor gives you a single
diagnosis. Instead, look for
a range of diagnoses to help
you decide your next step.
0 comments:
Post a Comment