- Finland is currently the European country that performs the most searches on Dr. Google.
- The term cyberchondria was coined to define the obsessive concern for health that leads to continually consulting the Internet to confirm diseases that one believes to have.
- The Rosenfeld Injury Lawyers law firm did research to identify the most Googled sports injuries.
In recent years, a phenomenon related to the Internet and health has been generated. Now all the knowledge is just a click away and although it offers benefits there are also some negatives because not everything is true. It consists of using Google as the only source of knowledge for aspects such as the most common sports injuries.
Internet as a source of health information
This leads to a term that has been baptized as Dr Google. It is used to describe the people who use this portal to search for information related to symptoms, discomforts or any other health-related problem.
Especially since the pandemic, the population’s interest in their own well-being has increased. It seems something positive but the problem begins when what appears in digital media is not questioned. In fact, not everything found on the internet is true or real.
This behavior has increased during the last 10 years and today it has normalized. Based on a survey conducted by Eurostat it was obtained that this 2022 Finland was the European country with the most searches on Dr. Google because 81% were related to health.
On the other hand, the constant searches in Google have generated the cyberchondria. It was coined by Microsoft Research researchers Ryan White and Eric Horvitz. It is defined as “the obsessive concern for health that leads to continually consulting the internet to confirm diseases that one believes to have, generally serious, or in search of symptoms, effects or possible treatments”.
The most searched sports injuries on Google
Based on all of the above, the Rosenfeld Injury Lawyers law firm did an investigation. It consisted of analyzing the most searched terms on sports injuries registered in the last 12 months in Google.
- Carpal Tunnel Syndrome – 222,623 searches per month
- Bursitis – 217,089 searches per month
- Shin splints – 215,527 searches per month
- Muscle strain – 171,305 searches per month
- Concussion – 140,505 searches per month
On the other hand, a very important point is to clarify that Google can only be used to find out general aspects about a disease but in no way replaces a doctor. A review by a health professional is required to obtain a diagnosis.
Medical misdiagnosis on the internet
In this vein, in 2020 the Edith Cowan University of Australia carried out an investigation. The work compared 36 symptom checkers that are available on the internet and analyzed whether they really offered reliable results.
What was obtained is that only in 36 percent of the occasions did they give a correct diagnosis. With this it is observed that they practically fail in two out of every three consultations they receive. The number is alarming and shows that despite technological advances, the best way to identify a health problem is to consult a real doctor.
For their part, the researchers added that looking for information on health issues on the Internet is not bad. The problem arises when sources are not verified or what is read is never questioned. The ideal is only to take everything found in the digital world as an opinion and then see a doctor to really identify the origin of the problem.
Also read:
Dr. Google, does it benefit or harm doctors?
Chart of the Day: Inquiries to Dr. Google on the Rise Around the World
Dr. Google is wrong in 2 out of 3 medical diagnoses