Is Online Medical Symptom Analysis Advisable?
Posted by Medical Fan - 23/12/08 at 08:12 amIs Online Medical Symptom Analysis Advisable?
The proper diagnosis is perhaps the most important step in the journey to treatment of any illness, whether it be a disease or a disorder. When the right diagnosis is not made, the patient runs the risk of remaining untreated, causing his body to further deteriorate and, in some cases, finally wither and die, prompting relatives of the deceased to sue the irresponsible doctor. However, getting the proper diagnosis should not only be left to the doctor. The patient himself must do his share. These days, online medical symptom analysis exists and competes with the traditional way of diagnosing symptoms.
Originally, symptoms are diagnosed personally – that is, the patient must see his doctor for examination and consultation. Upon formulation of hypotheses as to the possible illness of the patient, the doctor must then order further tests to be performed on his patient to arrive at a clear conclusion or diagnosis. Nowadays, online medical symptom analysis is available for people who do not wish to go through all the trouble just to see a doctor in person. With just a click of the mouse, diseases are listed in alphabetical order, and the patient can check which one he suspects he might have and see if his recurring symptoms match.
However, online medical symptom analysis has its disadvantages. While it is convenient, online diagnosis can never really be accurate. It is basic knowledge in medicine that personal physical examination is an indispensable requisite in giving a proper diagnosis; anything less is tantamount to guesswork, which medicine and all fields of science highly abhor. In fact, websites that offer online diagnoses generally recommend seeing a physician to confirm suspicions based on their online symptoms checklist. The traditional way of symptom analysis is still preferred over its online counterpart.