SIX in 10 people in Spain admit they 'consult Dr Google' for medical advice – a practice which doctors are divided upon.
Many support searching online for health answers and even recommend their patients do so when they see them in the surgery, but the Patients' Ombudsman is concerned about the dangers of trying to replace a professional with a website.
Over half – 54.2% - of Spanish residents say they research healthy lifestyle hacks online, whilst another 52.1% looks up illnesses, 50.9% check their symptoms through google, and 47% look for remedies.
In the last five years, the number of medical-related searches online in Spain have risen by 22% - from 38% in 2011 to 60.5% now, according to the National Telecomunications and Information Society Observatory (ONTSI).
Experts worry this trend could lead to hypochondria, a severe mental disorder where the sufferer genuinely believes he or she suffers from serious and life-threatening illnesses with no real grounds, and which sometimes even leads otherwise perfectly healthy individuals to plan their last rites.
In response, medical professionals say those who cannot keep away from 'Dr Google' should limit their searches to sites endorsed by public health bodies and written by qualified doctors.
Those more likely to go online to look up health matters are young adults (80.2%), generally with higher levels of education of graduate standard or the equivalent (82.9%), or those with dependant children (76.8%).
“The patient does not have the necessary criteria, so although there are sources of every type out there, incorrect information is rife – a consultation in person is essential,” says Sergio Gómez Cisneros, a urologist from the Ponferrada Clinic.
But 88.7% of Spanish residents questioned said they would in fact turn to a doctor in person first, before going online, or as well as – and many resort to the internet to find out more about a condition they have already been diagnosed with.
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