What's under the gown in the South African Medical Fraternity? Doctors, Surgeons, Practices, Hospitals and the funny, sometimes controversial stories that go with them. Seeeeriouuuus Seeeeesssta!
I am writing an examination paper in master level medical anthropology at Uppsala University in Sweden. I have read what you have written on googling symtoms and patients coming in with a clear cut solution as to what is faultering them and an already made up plan for treatment or further testing.
I myself believe that self-diagnosis is dangerous and that ignorance is bliss. Programs such as Mystery Diagnosis where people suffering from extremely rare conditions google or research themselves to a diagnosis only increases the "risk" for self-diagnosis. I should add I was diagnosed with severe PAS midway through my degree resulting in a looong hiatus.
In most cases on programs such as Mystery Diagnosis the question arises that why did it take so long to solve the mystery and provide accurate diagnosis which to me is a perfect example what people expect from doctors and medicine.
Now to my questions. You will NOT be cited in the paper. Has the self diagosis via alternative means such as the internet increased over the years? Has the increase been dramatic or should in be desribed in a different manner? How do you approach those whose main tool has been the internet? If there has been an increase, does this mean conferring with you as a physician or rather showing up with a finalised decision as to everything from diagnosis to treatment or further diagnostic measures?
Finally, there are few patients quetioning the wiseness in using the internet in the more extreme cases of self-diagnosing. There ARE those that are informing themselves post-diagnosis but those make up a diferent group.
2 comments:
I am writing an examination paper in master level medical anthropology at Uppsala University in Sweden. I have read what you have written on googling symtoms and patients coming in with a clear cut solution as to what is faultering them and an already made up plan for treatment or further testing.
I myself believe that self-diagnosis is dangerous and that ignorance is bliss. Programs such as Mystery Diagnosis where people suffering from extremely rare conditions google or research themselves to a diagnosis only increases the "risk" for self-diagnosis. I should add I was diagnosed with severe PAS midway through my degree resulting in a looong hiatus.
In most cases on programs such as Mystery Diagnosis the question arises that why did it take so long to solve the mystery and provide accurate diagnosis which to me is a perfect example what people expect from doctors and medicine.
Now to my questions. You will NOT be cited in the paper. Has the self diagosis via alternative means such as the internet increased over the years?
Has the increase been dramatic or should in be desribed in a different manner?
How do you approach those whose main tool has been the internet?
If there has been an increase, does this mean conferring with you as a physician or rather showing up with a finalised decision as to everything from diagnosis to treatment or further diagnostic measures?
Finally, there are few patients quetioning the wiseness in using the internet in the more extreme cases of self-diagnosing. There ARE those that are informing themselves post-diagnosis but those make up a diferent group.
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