Web sites like Web MD that give medical explanations and diagnoses are becoming increasingly popular among college students, but they could lead to inaccurate assumptions, a physician said Monday.
Dr. Jennifer Hartmark-Hill, director of ASU’s Adolescent and Young Adult Medicine Resident Education Program, said she estimates about 25 percent of her patients come in with information about their symptoms they got from the Internet.
She said many students use these sites because they are familiar with the Internet, calling young people a “very tech-savvy demographic.”
“The problem with Internet diagnostic sites is that many symptoms tend to be non-specific,” she said.
Common symptoms such as nausea can be attributed to a long list of diseases, she said. Hartmark-Hill, who works at the Tempe campus Health Services, said diagnostic Web sites sometimes lead people to inaccurate assumptions of what they are suffering from.
“A lot of Web sites out there appear to be giving information for the patient,” she said, “but they’re really selling a product that is, a lot of times, not FDA-approved.”
Sites like these create not only physical danger, but also a financial danger for patients, Hartmark-Hill said.
“People spend an astronomical amount on unapproved alternative medicine every year instead of going to the doctor,” she said.
Dr. Andrew Carroll, a physician practicing in Chandler, said he sees a lot of patients who come in after using Google to look up their symptoms.
“There are some times when I’ll agree with them, and there are some times when their suggestion is … outlandish,” he said.
It is important for people to check reputable Web sites if they are going to look up symptoms online, Carroll said, adding that the Internet can serve as a tool to improve medical literacy across the country.
“If people use those Web sites in conjunction with seeing someone face-to-face, I think it could be very valuable,” he said.
When patients come in having done Internet research, Carroll said, it shows him that they are engaged in their health care.
“People should feel treated, not medicated,” he said, adding that primary physicians provide that security.
Nursing freshman Cynthia Clausen said she doesn’t use sites like WebMD.com to check her symptoms because she feels the Internet can instill unnecessary fear.
“I don’t feel that the Internet is very reliable,” she said. “A lot of illnesses are in people’s heads.”
Clausen said she visits the doctor when she is sick enough that her daily life is disrupted — when her symptoms don’t allow her to go to class or get out of bed.
“Some people can’t get out of the house for certain reasons,” she said, adding that she thinks the Internet could serve as a powerful information source for those individuals.
Hartmark-Hill said she encourages students to take initiative in their health care and educate themselves by using reputable medical Web sites.
“I do encourage my patients to educate themselves about their health,” she said. “I find it empowers them to take better care of themselves.”
Reach the reporter at ndgilber@asu.edu.
