Google is Better Than Your Medical Degree?

Who doesn’t like a little controversy to start your Monday? Ok, I know that the title is going to irk a number of doctors. Although, ironically, the title for this article came from an MS3. It should come as no surprise that I see and understand many of the angles this conversation takes.  Let’s explore the nuance. First, check out the tweet below:

For those following along at home, this is a twist of a popular meme that’s gone around the internet and is often shared by doctors that says “Please Do Not Confuse Your Google Search With My Medical Degree.” In fact, you can get it on a mug if you’d like.

The reaction to the above tweet was really interesting and worthy of a read to understand a lot of the angles of this conversation.  Naina even followed up with this clarification of the intent of the tweet:

The reality is that both sides of this discussion have important points to make.  Some patients take their Google searches too far and treat clinicians poorly because they think they know better.  Plus, we know a lot of stories of patients who haven’t been listened to by doctors and have had adverse results.  We know of a lot of patients who have done their own research and been proactive patients and saved their lives.  While these are both true, that’s not an excuse for patients to take it so far that they’re disrespectful to clinicians that are trying to help them which is what happens sometimes.

No doubt this dynamic is hard.  The 15 minute paradigm doesn’t leave much space for doctors to listen to patients.  Plus, doctors can recount hundreds of stories of patients who have researched their hearts out on Dr. Google and worried themselves needlessly over something that was diagnosed simply by the doctor even though Dr. Google said the patient was going to die from some illness no patient has ever heard about.  It makes sense why doctors could have some skepticism around what patients find in their Google searches.

The reality is that doctors can’t know everything and the pressures of our healthcare system make it hard for them, but doctors should respect patients who are proactive in their care.  Patients should search Google for information and be proactive in their care, but they can also do it in a respectful way.  At the end of the day, it really comes down to mutual respect for each other and collaboration to achieve the best outcomes.

Google offers a lot of value (even to doctors who use it) and a doctor’s medical degree offers a ton of value as well.  We shouldn’t confuse either of them.  To get the best care possible we should want the doctors medical degree and a patient’s proactive participation in their healthcare.

About the author

John Lynn

John Lynn is the Founder of HealthcareScene.com, a network of leading Healthcare IT resources. The flagship blog, Healthcare IT Today, contains over 13,000 articles with over half of the articles written by John. These EMR and Healthcare IT related articles have been viewed over 20 million times.

John manages Healthcare IT Central, the leading career Health IT job board. He also organizes the first of its kind conference and community focused on healthcare marketing, Healthcare and IT Marketing Conference, and a healthcare IT conference, EXPO.health, focused on practical healthcare IT innovation. John is an advisor to multiple healthcare IT companies. John is highly involved in social media, and in addition to his blogs can be found on Twitter: @techguy.

3 Comments

  • A pox on both their houses!

    The medical establishment is woefully ignorant and last-to-know when it comes to anything except repairing a broken body. And in keeping you healthy, Big Pharma, the FDA, and insurance companies seem seem to drive most medical practitioners more than science.

    Google et al and their cancel culture are actively suppressing those who beg to differ from the established narrative. How else did those expensive C-19 experimental “vaccines” come to be financed and promoted to the exclusion of very cheap and very effective HCQ and ivermectin cures (when treated early)? And certainly one who has recovered from C-19 will likely have better defense against future variants than those who have had one of those vaccines.

    Real science is is not done by consensus, but even the medical and science journals are suppressing alternate views and are thus their credibility — along with Big Tech the mainstream media — is no longer trusted. People are beginning to realize that they’re on their own when it comes to their health or other things that matter. They are using search alternatives to Google and investigating so-called “alt-right” web sites to fill in the information gaps denied by the Cancel Culture.

  • Google certainly has its weaknesses, but they’ve done a lot of good things lately with the true healthcare people they’ve brought on lately. Cancel culture is a problem and is likely only going to get worse. Although, misinformation is a problem too. Lots of lies being spread a lot of places on the left and the right.

  • There are other options — like collaboration. Instead of getting annoyed with people who want to proactively research – why not help them do good research — recommend reliable orgs that have up to date info… or actually help by e-prescribing information you know is appropriate for that individual’s conditions.

    I also like Web Lit Legit – which helps people assess whether a site is more likely to be reliable. It was meant for teens – but is helpful for anyone: https://www.safercaretexas.org/weblitlegit/

    And more on e-prescribing info before, after & between visits here: https://www.healthcareittoday.com/2020/05/21/reclaiming-the-space-between-visits/

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