Fighting for certainty: Why Patients are seeking information outside of the doctor's office.

5 January 2024 Fighting for certainty: Why Patients are seeking information outside of the doctor's office. Chronically The Patient Empowerment Ne

5 January 2024 Fighting for certainty: Why Patients are seeking information outside of the doctor's office. Chronically The Patient Empowerment Newsletter

More often than not, we patients feel so detached from the medical processes taking place around us, above our heads, that we crave a tiny bit of control. I would argue that what doctors like to call "cyberchondria" - patients who like to read online - is not only an empowerment movement from the patient side, but rather, a cry for help. We don't do it because we don't trust our doctor (at least not initially), but rather because we feel their attention is lacking, and we want to regain control over a process that is designed to keep us out of the loop.

There are so many gaps in care, but the one that is hurting us the most is the lack of contact with our physicians between visits. The technology is there, the need is there, and yet it's rare to see a solution in sight.

We walk into clinics often feeling unheard. The doctor barely makes eye contact while typing away at their keyboard. We're shuffled from room to room, talking to nurse after nurse, all while feeling disconnected and anxious about our health. By the time we see the doctor, we're flustered. They ask us questions, examine us quickly, and rush off to the next patient before we can even process what just happened.

After we leave, we start to think of all the things we wish we had asked or told the doctor. The visit felt so impersonal, more like an assembly line than personalized care. How can a doctor properly diagnose and treat us in such a short fragmented visit?

This lack of true care leads many of us to start googling symptoms and medications when we get home. We're desperate to understand what's happening with our own bodies and health. The scary part is much of the 'Dr. Google' advice contradicts what the real doctor said, leaving us confused and overwhelmed.

I believe this epidemic of patients turning to 'Dr. Google' is a cry for help an