With the up-start or a medical websites like WebMD , vastly bloated sites of medical information galore, especially popular for features like WebMD’s self-diagnosing “symptom checker”, a new culture of self-diagnosis has rose, it is a culture heavy on information, and sometimes neurosis. The internet has made it easy for laymen to research health topics and create their own diagnoses. Miriam McMullen talks about this new culture.
“Traditionally, health professionals were the main providers of information to patients regarding their diagnosis, prognosis and treatment options. Until recently, many health professionals felt that patients were unable to cope with bad news and should be therefore kept ignorant of many details of their illness. However, with the easy access and availability of information through the Internet many patients are no longer satisfied with this attitude. They want to be fully informed and be part of the treatment decision making.”
The results of this new culture are varied: McMullen cites unrealistic patient expectations with diagnosis, treatment and education expectations concerning their condition, and also says that some trends are that patients perceive medical professionals to be impersonal and inept to guide them to new information. Although others feel a greater access to information is empowering to the patient who now has the ability to make more informed decisions, like when a doctor’s trip is actually necessary. Craigslist and other forums may play into the internet everyone-is-a-professional culture.
While navigating the Fort Collins Automotive discussions forum, I found a post of a person looking for help self diagnosing an automotive problem.
“I got this truck a month ago and the fuel tank switching clogged up on me a week after I bought it. I bypassed the switching unit and it ran fine for the ride to work and then on the way home had a rough idle and would stall when I decelerated. I’ve checked the EGR and PCV valves, cleaned the carb & replaced the float. Every time I try something new it runs good for a trip around the block and is running like crap by the time I get back to the house. My question is – could bypassing the fuel tank switching unit disrupt the vacuum system and cause it to run poorly?”
The poster is clearly not a layman when it comes to automechanics, but is clearly not a mechanic either. His inquiries suggest he is not looking for professional help and can manage a new frontier on his own. Responses led him to a variety of solutions including a cheep fix like changing the in-line fuel filter, to replacing the fuel line, or the transfer switch, or a dirty or rusty fuel tank.
It would seem the poster is no farther than he was before, in addition to not even getting his question answered. And although, a follow-up post describes that he just installed new inline fuel filters, the forum still seems to follow this line of thought. Finally one poster responded with “28 year old truck. Says a lot.”
So what becomes of the Chevy man or the symptom checking patient? It is unclear, but it is my assumption that automechanocs and medical professionals may soon be in the same boat of pleading with customers and patients for a bit of trust. In conclusion, symptom check carefully people, and if you must, use a variety of “reputable” (as reputable as the internet can be nowadays) sources and take all diagnosis’s with a grain of salt. Otherwise, you may end up spending that extra dough you were trying to save by not going to a mechanic or doctor, or worst…
And that goes for all of you on the Health forum, too!
Posted by Shanna 